A 21-year-old university student is among the world’s elite when it comes to wealth, in the scenic coastal city of Florianópolis, Brazil. Lívia Voigt de Assis is one of the world’s youngest billionaires and one of the biggest individual shareholders of WEG, the biggest maker of electrical motors in Latin America. Her story is a lesson in how family legacy, industrial innovation and quiet discipline can create extraordinary wealth at a remarkably young age, with a net worth of about $1.2 billion (as of May 2026).
From Record-Breaking Heiress To International Fame
In 2024, Lívia became the youngest billionaire on Earth at the young age of 19, according to Forbes. She only beat the previous record holder by a few months, sparking interest in her minority stake in Brazilian industrial giant WEG. At 21, she is now the world’s second-youngest billionaire, behind only a 19-year-old heir to a German pharmaceuticals fortune. Her fortune comes not from launching a startup or climbing the corporate ladder, but from inheriting and holding substantial stakes in a company her grandfather helped found decades ago.
The WEG Legacy Engineering Excellence Since 1961 8
Livia’s late grandfather, Werner Ricardo Voigt, co-founded WEG S.A. in 1961 together with partners Eggon Joao da Silva and Geraldo Werninghaus. What started as a small maker of electrical motors in southern Brazil has become a global leader in industrial equipment, automation and energy solutions. The publicly traded multinational (ticker: WEGE3) runs factories in more than ten countries and sells products in some 140 nations. With annual revenues of more than $7 billion and a workforce of nearly 48,000, WEG has become one of Brazil’s most valuable companies and a symbol of Latin American industrial strength.
Lívia and her older sister, Dora Voigt de Assis, each hold significant stakes of about 3.1% through the family’s holding company, WPA Participações. While these positions are minority holdings, they have generated tremendous value given WEG’s consistent growth and strong performance across the industrial electro-electronic equipment and energy generation categories.
Lívia Voigt De Assis Net Worth
Voigt has created an incredible concentration of wealth. Lívia and Dora are two of seven cousins appearing together on Forbes billionaire lists for their stakes in WEG. They are cousins of Eduardo Voigt Schwartz and Mariana Voigt Schwartz Gomes (both about $1.7 billion), and siblings Amelie, Pedro and Felipe Voigt Trejes (all about $1.1 billion). The family’s combined fortune from these holdings is well over $9 billion. Importantly, none of the seven cousins are on the WEG board or executive team – their wealth is 100% investments and it’s a conscious decision to leave the business in professional hands while the family enjoys the company’s success.
Studies, Privacy and a Life on the Ground
Despite her billionaire status, Lívia is remarkably low-key. She is studying psychology at university in Brazil and has said many times that she wants to stay out of the limelight. Named the world’s youngest billionaire in 2024 by Forbes, she wrote on social media that she wants to keep her private life, an urge all but shared by much of her family. She lives in Florianópolis, is a dedicated student and has no plans to be an active part of WEG.
Her older sister Dora, who graduated with an architecture degree in 2020 and who has a similar stake, follows a similar path of discretion. The sisters are a collective symbol for a new generation of heirs who are interested in personal development over ostentatious wealth.
Brazil’s silent force for industrial future
As WEG continues to grow globally, invest in sustainable technologies, and post strong financial results, Lívia’s stake will position her for even greater impact in the long term. Whether she becomes more involved in the family business or chooses a career path in psychology or another area, her path is an interesting illustration of inherited wealth, humility, and focus.
Lívia Voigt de Assis is a one-off in the annals of the world’s billionaires — young, educated, private and part of one of the most successful industrial dynasties in Latin America. In a time when the glossy self-made narrative often dominates, her quiet ascent is a reminder that some of the most powerful fortunes are built on generational vision, engineering excellence, and the steady strength of family enterprise.
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