15 Most Expensive Divorces in the World (2026 Updated List)

As of October 2026, the most expensive divorce in history is that of Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott. In 2019, Scott received a 4 percent stake in Amazon worth about $38 billion at the time. Bill and Melinda Gates’ 2021 divorce may have been larger, but its financial terms have never been made public.

Most of the largest settlements involve business founders whose wealth is tied up in company shares. Many figures below are estimates reported at the time, since divorce terms are often private. Here are the 15 most expensive divorces in the world, ranked by the reported value of the settlement.

1. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott: $38 billion

Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott announced their divorce in January 2019 after 25 years of marriage. Scott received about 25 percent of the couple’s Amazon stock, or 4 percent of the company, worth about $38 billion when the divorce was finalised.

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Bezos kept voting control of her shares and full ownership of The Washington Post and Blue Origin. Scott has since given away more than $19 billion to charity and remains one of the richest women in the world.

2. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, and it was finalised in August 2021. They had a separation agreement but did not disclose its terms.

Some lists give a figure of $73 billion to $76 billion, but no settlement amount has been confirmed by either side. Melinda French Gates left the Gates Foundation in 2024 with $12.5 billion for her own philanthropy under the terms of their agreement.

3. Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein: $3.8 billion

French art dealer Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein divorced in 1999 after 21 years. A New York judge awarded her about $2.5 billion, plus $100 million a year for 13 years, for a total reported at $3.8 billion.

4. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Murdoch: $1.7 billion

Rupert Murdoch and his second wife, Anna, divorced in 1999 after 31 years of marriage. She reportedly received about $1.7 billion in assets. Murdoch married Wendi Deng 17 days later.

Murdoch, now 95, married for the fifth time in 2024, to retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova.

5. Bill Gross and Sue Gross: $1.3 billion

Bond investor Bill Gross, co-founder of Pimco, and Sue Gross divorced in 2017 after about 30 years of marriage. The settlement was estimated at about $1.3 billion and included part of their art collection. It became public partly because of a dispute over a Picasso painting.

6. Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Ecclestone: $1.2 billion

Former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone and Croatian former model Slavica Radić divorced in 2009 after 24 years. Her settlement was reported at about $1.2 billion. The split was described as amicable.

7. Steve Wynn and Elaine Wynn: $1 billion

Casino developer Steve Wynn and Elaine Wynn divorced for the second time in 2010. Elaine received a share of Wynn Resorts stock reportedly worth about $1 billion. The couple had first married in 1963, divorced in 1986 and remarried in 1991.

8. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall: $975 million

Oil billionaire Harold Hamm, founder of Continental Resources, and lawyer Sue Ann Arnall divorced after 26 years of marriage. In 2014 an Oklahoma judge awarded her about $975 million to $995 million. She first appealed, saying the award was too low, before the case was settled.

9. Adnan Khashoggi and Soraya Khashoggi: $874 million

Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and his first wife Soraya divorced in 1980 after about 20 years of marriage. Her settlement was reported at about $874 million, which would be worth close to $3 billion today.

10. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Princess Haya: $730 million

In December 2021, the High Court in London ordered Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to pay his former wife Princess Haya bint Hussein and their two children about £554 million, roughly $730 million. It was one of the largest awards ever made by a British court.

11. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren: $710 million

Golfer Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010 after about six years of marriage. The settlement was widely reported at up to $710 million, although some reports put it much lower. The exact figure was never confirmed.

12. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovleva: $604 million

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovleva divorced after 26 years. A Swiss court first awarded her about $4.5 billion in 2014, which was cut to about $604 million on appeal in 2015. The couple later settled privately.

13. Craig McCaw and Wendy McCaw: $460 million

Telecoms pioneer Craig McCaw and Wendy McCaw divorced in 1997 after about 21 years. Her settlement, reported at more than $460 million, included stakes in Nextel and Nextlink. She later bought the Santa Barbara News-Press.

14. Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore: $425 million

Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore separated in 2006 after 26 years of marriage, and the divorce was finalised in 2011. California’s community property law entitled her to half of the assets earned during the marriage, reported at about $425 million.

15. Robert Johnson and Sheila Johnson: $400 million

Robert and Sheila Johnson co-founded Black Entertainment Television in 1980. After they sold BET to Viacom in 2001 for about $3 billion, they divorced, and Sheila Johnson received a settlement reported at about $400 million.

How we ranked these divorces

We ranked divorces by the settlement value reported at the time, in US dollars, without adjusting for inflation. Where the terms were never published, as with Bill and Melinda Gates, we note this rather than give a figure.

Some celebrity divorces left this list because their terms were not made public, including that of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, which was finalised in December 2024 after eight years of proceedings. For the fortunes involved, see our profiles of Brad Pitt’s net worth and Angelina Jolie’s net worth.

Sources: List of most expensive divorces, Wikipedia, Lawyer Monthly, Man of Many.