What is Bashar al-Assad's Net Worth?
Bashar al-Assad is a former Syrian politician and former doctor who has a net worth of $1.5 billion. Bashar al-Assad is the former President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. Bashar al-Assad became president of Syria from 2000 following the death of his father. His older brother was next in line to take over from their father. Unfortunately, the older brother died in a car crash in 1994, and that made Bashar the next-in-line. He was also the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Secretary General of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Assad is notorious for leading his country to commit countless human rights violations, which have facilitated the Syrian Civil War and left the nation in extreme poverty.
President Barack Obama signed an Executive order to place sanctions against Bashar Assad in an effort to pressure his regime "to end its use of violence against its people and begin transitioning to a democratic system that protects the rights of the Syrian people." This order took place on May 18, 2011, due to this order, Mr. Assad and nine other officials were added to a list with travel bans and asset freezes.
Family Wealth
The al-Assad family reportedly controls 60-75% of the Syrian economy and has used this control to amass a vast fortune. Bashar's personal net worth is $1.5 billion. The total value of his family wealth has been estimated to be $60 – $120 billion. The family owns a vast portfolio of real estate, natural resources, art, jewelry, and much much more.
Ouster
The dramatic arc of Bashar al-Assad's rule over Syria came to an abrupt conclusion in December 2024, ending a dynasty that had controlled the country for over half a century. Following a successful rebel uprising, the man who had once been trained as an ophthalmologist in London before inheriting power from his father in 2000 fled Damascus with his wife, seeking and receiving asylum in Russia. This choice of refuge was fitting – Moscow had been his most steadfast ally throughout the Syrian Civil War, providing military support that had helped him maintain power for years despite international pressure and internal resistance. His departure marked a stunning reversal for a leader who had managed to survive multiple challenges to his rule during the Arab Spring and the ensuing civil war, fundamentally reshaping the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
Early Life
Bashar al-Assad was born on September 11, 1965 in Damascus, Syria as the third child of Anisa and Hafez. He had five siblings in total: sisters Bushra and Bushra and brothers Majd, Bassel, and Maher. The first Bushra passed away in infancy. When Assad was five, his father took control of the Syrian branch of the Ba'ath Party during the Corrective Revolution, leading to his presidency. Assad and his siblings rarely saw their father during this time. For his education, Assad went to the Arab-French al-Hurriya School, and then to Damascus University to study medicine.
Career Beginnings
Assad graduated from medical school in 1988, and subsequently started serving as an army doctor at the Tishrin Military Hospital near Damascus. Four years after this, he moved to London to do post graduating training in ophthalmology at the Western Eye Hospital. Assad was subsequently called to the Syrian Army.
Political Ascendance
Following the death of his older brother Bassel in a car accident in 1994, Assad became the new heir apparent to the Syrian presidency. His father prepped him meticulously for the transfer of power, and had him enter the military to establish his credentials. By 1999, Assad was the colonel of the elite Syrian Republican Guard. Integral to his ascendency was his "campaign against corruption," which targeted his potential political rivals. Additionally, Assad became the president of the Syrian Computer Society, making him able to manipulate his image to his benefit by spreading misinformation over the Internet.
(Photo credit should read HASSAN AMMAR/AFP via Getty Images)
President of Syria
Upon the death of his father in June of 2000, Assad became the new president of Syria; the minimum age requirement for the position was lowered from 40 to 34 to allow him to assume power. Along with his role as president, Assad became the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. In 2007, he was approved for another seven-year term in a presidential referendum absent of opposition parties and any other candidates.
During the Arab Spring in 2011, mass protests broke out in Syria demanding political reforms and the reinstitution of basic civil liberties. As dictators do in these situations, Assad responded to the unrest with violence, ordering a brutal crackdown on the protestors that resulted in over 5,000 civilians being killed. These actions helped lead to the Syrian Civil War. Consequently, the United States, European Union, and most of the Arab League called for Assad's resignation from the presidency. Instead, he was sworn in for yet another seven-year term in 2014 in another rigged election. He was re-elected once again in 2021. Overall, Assad's presidency has been characterized by rampant corruption and flagrant human rights violations. Many inquiries and investigations have implicated Assad in war crimes, including but not limited to systematic torture and chemical attacks.
RABIH MOGHRABI/AFP/Getty Images
Policies
As a dictator, Assad executed oppressive and unjust policies that harmed his nation and its people. Due to widespread economic sanctions imposed upon Syria in response to Assad's actions, the country is extremely impoverished. Crimes against humanity are numerous, with Assad using secret police to imprison, torture, and murder political opponents and dissidents.
Assad considers himself an enemy of the West, and is active in supporting militant groups that oppose Israel. His government collaborated with and advanced the operations of such terrorist groups as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as the dictatorships of North Korea and Russia. In 2015, the latter country provided direct military intervention in Syria to help contain the Civil War.
International Public Relations
Assad and his wife are known to use United States- and United Kingdom-based public relations firms and consultants to manipulate their image for the rest of the world. Photoshoots have even been secured, with Assad's wife appearing in a number of celebrity and fashion magazines, including Vogue. Meanwhile, Assad has used social media to build a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, through which he has been able to spread his propaganda.
Personal Life
Shortly after taking over the presidency in 2000, Assad married the British-Syrian Asma Akhras. Together, they have three children named Hafez, Zein, and Karim. Assad is fluent in English, and has rudimentary conversational skills in French.
