The $265 Billion Question: Unmasking The Richest Church In The World (2025 Updated)

The question of the world's richest church is far more complex than a simple number, pitting a secretive, centralized investment fund against a vast, decentralized global empire. As of late 2024 and early 2025, financial analysts and investigative reporters continue to grapple with two primary contenders, each claiming the title for a different reason: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and The Roman Catholic Church. The former boasts a staggering, quantifiable investment reserve, while the latter possesses an incalculable wealth tied up in priceless art, ancient real estate, and global institutions, making a direct comparison nearly impossible. This article dives deep into the latest financial disclosures and investigative estimates to unmask the true nature of their immense fortunes.

The intense public scrutiny over religious wealth stems from a fundamental curiosity about how tax-exempt organizations manage billions in revenue, primarily from member donations like tithing. For many, the sheer scale of these endowment funds raises ethical questions about charitable spending versus long-term financial hoarding. The most recent data points to a clear winner in terms of a single, verifiable, and massive Perpetual Reserve Fund, but the title of the wealthiest overall religious institution remains a matter of perspective and definition, touching upon everything from real estate holdings to secretive investment funds.

The Uncontested Winner by Centralized Reserve: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)

In the modern financial landscape, the title of the richest church with the most quantifiable, centralized wealth belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), often referred to as the Mormon Church. Its wealth is not primarily visible in grand cathedrals but rather in a gargantuan, largely non-charitable investment portfolio.

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The $265 Billion Perpetual Reserve Fund

The LDS Church's net worth has been the subject of intense media focus since 2019, when a whistleblower revealed the existence of a massive, undisclosed investment fund. Recent external estimates for the Church's total net worth, as of 2023/2024, place the figure between a conservative $265 billion and an aggressive $293 billion. This valuation is primarily attributed to a massive, tax-exempt savings account known as the Perpetual Reserve Fund.

• Source of Wealth: The fund is reportedly built from surplus tithing—the mandatory 10% income donation from its approximately 17 million members worldwide. The church operates on a policy of saving for the "rainy day" or the "Second Coming," rather than immediately distributing all revenue to operational or humanitarian aid.
• Investment Strategy: The Church is a major player in the global economy, with significant investments in traditional markets. Beyond its investment portfolio, the Church owns a vast array of for-profit businesses, including the Deseret Management Corporation, which oversees entities like Beneficial Life Insurance and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The Power of Ensign Peak Advisors

The engine behind the LDS Church's colossal reserve is Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. (EPA). This entity is the Church's primary investment management arm, operating as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 2023/2024, EPA's public stock portfolio alone—which must be disclosed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—was valued at over $60 billion. However, this public disclosure represents only a fraction of its total assets under management (AUM), which include bonds, private equity, hedge funds, and vast real estate holdings. The total AUM for Ensign Peak is often cited as the core of the Church's $200 billion+ reserve, making it one of the largest endowment funds in the world, surpassing even those of the wealthiest universities like Harvard and Yale.

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The Undeniable Global Titan: The Roman Catholic Church

While the LDS Church wins the "centralized reserve" contest, the undisputed global powerhouse in terms of total assets, influence, and sheer scale of real estate holdings is The Roman Catholic Church. Its wealth is so vast and decentralized that assigning a single net worth figure is impossible, leading to estimates that range into the trillions of dollars.

The Incalculable Value of Decentralized Assets

The primary reason the Catholic Church's wealth cannot be neatly quantified is its structure. Unlike the LDS Church, which reports to a central authority in Utah, the Catholic Church is a federation of countless independent entities:

• The Holy See and Vatican City: The central governing body, the Holy See, manages its own finances, including the Vatican Bank (formally the Institute for the Works of Religion, or IOR). Recent reports on the Holy See's operational income and asset management earnings are in the millions, not billions, reflecting only the central administration's budget, not the global church's wealth. The Holy See’s investment portfolio includes gold reserves and financial investments managed by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA).
• Global Dioceses, Parishes, and Orders: The vast majority of the Catholic Church's wealth is owned locally by tens of thousands of individual dioceses, archdioceses, parishes, schools, hospitals, and religious orders (like the Jesuits and Franciscans) across every continent. Each entity manages its own finances and assets independently.

Real Estate and Priceless Art Holdings

The true financial power of the Catholic Church lies in its physical assets, which are often classified as non-liquid or priceless:

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The Vatican itself has revealed it owns over 5,000 properties worldwide, including commercial and residential investment properties. Beyond the Vatican's direct holdings, the global church owns countless iconic structures:

• Churches and Cathedrals: Hundreds of thousands of churches, many of which are centuries-old historic landmarks (e.g., St. Peter's Basilica, Notre Dame).
• Institutions: A global network of educational institutions (universities, primary schools), hospitals, and charitable organizations, all sitting on prime global real estate.
• Art and Artifacts: The Vatican Museums hold one of the world's most valuable collections of art, including works by Michelangelo and Raphael, which are priceless and non-transferable.

When the value of all these non-liquid, decentralized assets is combined, the Catholic Church's total economic footprint is conservatively estimated to be in the hundreds of billions, with some analysts suggesting a figure that could reach into the trillions, making it the wealthiest religious institution in human history.

The Billion-Dollar Club: Other Wealthy Denominations and Their Endowments

While the LDS Church and the Catholic Church dominate the conversation, several other Christian denominations operate on a massive financial scale, managing multi-billion dollar endowment funds and extensive real estate holdings. These organizations also benefit from significant tax-exempt status on their religious and charitable income.

Here are three other major players in the global religious finance landscape, often cited in lists of the wealthiest churches:

1. The Seventh-day Adventist Church ($15.6 Billion)

With an estimated net worth of approximately $15.6 billion, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a major financial entity. Its wealth is primarily derived from tithing and investments in its vast network of global institutions. The Church operates a significant number of schools, universities, and hospitals worldwide, all managed under its central administration, giving it a high degree of financial centralization similar to the LDS model, though on a smaller scale.

2. The Church of England ($13.84 Billion)

The Church of England, the mother church of the Anglican Communion, manages its wealth through the Church Commissioners for England. This body oversees a substantial investment fund, which was valued at approximately $13.84 billion in recent years. The fund is used to support the Church's mission, pay clergy pensions, and maintain historic cathedral and parish properties across the United Kingdom.

3. The Church of Sweden ($11.41 Billion)

As a former state church, the Church of Sweden retains significant assets, including vast land and forest holdings, and manages a substantial endowment. Its financial assets are estimated to be around $11.41 billion. Its wealth is often tied to the historical ownership of properties and land that were once managed by the state, giving it a unique financial stability among European denominations.

Conclusion: The Two Faces of Religious Wealth

The title of the "richest church in the world" ultimately depends on how one defines wealth. If the definition is based on the single largest, most liquid, and centrally managed investment fund, the clear winner in 2025 is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with its estimated $265 billion+ reserve managed by Ensign Peak Advisors. This massive fund, primarily built from tithing, represents an unprecedented concentration of religious financial power.

However, if wealth is defined by the total, incalculable value of global real estate holdings, priceless art, historical artifacts, and a vast network of decentralized institutions, then The Roman Catholic Church remains the wealthiest religious institution in history. Its global footprint, spanning centuries and continents, gives it an economic power that few organizations, religious or secular, can match. The ongoing public fascination with these figures highlights the growing debate about the ethical responsibilities and tax-exempt status of ultra-wealthy religious organizations.