Whether it’s world leaders or celebrities, being an influential and successful individual can have its drawbacks, particularly when it comes to your own personal safety.
Unfortunately, these notable individuals can be targeted for a number of reasons, whether their motives be politically or financially motivated, or sometimes for no reason at all.
That’s why personal protection is so important to the rich and famous, who often invest heavily in their security details.
But who has the biggest group of security guards and who spends the most on keeping themselves and their families safe?
100,000 estimated security guards
The individual who has by far the largest number of people who are solely dedicated to their security is North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un.
His Supreme Guard Command is made up of an estimated 100,000 members, who are tasked with the protection of Kim and the rest of his family.
The Command leaves nothing to chance when it comes to their leader’s safety, managing security training, vetting and staffing, and have been filmed jogging alongside his motorcade and have to meet strict physical criteria, including a height requirement.
9,000 estimated security guards
In second is former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who it’s estimated deployed around 9,000 security personnel on overseas visits.
On a visit to Gujarat to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was estimated that around 70% of the local police force were deployed to secure the city ahead of his visit and even recruited around 2,000 from neighbouring parts of the state.
5,000 estimated security guards
Another head of state takes third place, with Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping having an estimated 5,000 security guards at his disposal.
The Chinese government is looked after by the secretive Central Security Bureau which makes use of helicopters and drone technology to secure locations days in advance of Jinping’s arrival, with a separate team dedicated solely to preventing cybersecurity threats.
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$120,000,000 security spending
The President of the United States is understandably one of the most protected roles in the world, but during his tenure, former President Donald Trump took personal defence spending to another level.
While previous presidents budgeted a couple of million dollars a year for their security, Trump upped this to $120 million, beefing up security for when he was travelling, as well as for his Trump Tower residence in New York City.
$88,000,000 security spending
As one of the most famous power couples in the world, it's no surprise that Jay-Z & Beyoncé take their security seriously, and it’s estimated that they spent $88 million on turning their Bel-Air mansion into a fortress.
Renovations include building a home living quarters for their personal security guards who monitor the gated property 24/7 and a two-storey carport to protect their collection of high-end cars.
$22,000,000 security spending
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people in the world, and Facebook has recently upped its spending on keeping him safe, allocating $22 million to his security detail, more than double that of previous years.
This includes $2.6 million spent on private jets that are also listed as being part of the billionaire’s security programme after he came under increased risk of abuse and threats following a number of scandals for the company.
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Area 51 is a famously secretive United States Air Force facility in the Nevada desert that has prompted many conspiracy theories around what exactly goes on behind its doors. The base is protected by an extensive range of security measures to keep its operations secret, including door supervisors, motion-triggered sensors on the perimeter and constant guard patrols who are authorized to use deadly force against trespassers.
Located in Kentucky, Fort Knox is another US military installation and is home to the United States Bullion Depository, where most of the country’s extensive gold reserves are kept. Known as being one of the most protected places in the world, the depository is a fortified vault and is protected by the United States Mint Police, protected by rings or razor wire and minefields and monitored using high-resolution night-vision cameras and microphones, with the gold itself stored well below ground behind a 21-inch thick door.
One of the most famous buildings in the world, the White House is the official residence of the president of the United States and is protected by the United States Secret Service. As well as being surrounded by an iron fence, the property is fitted with bulletproof windows and aircraft are strictly prohibited from flying in its airspace.
Previously known as the Vatican Secret Archives, the central repository of the Vatican City holds all manner of materials, such as the acts proclaimed by the Holy See, state papers, correspondence and account books. Access to the archives is limited and records can only be accessed no earlier than 75 years after the end of a pope’s reign (with some exceptions).
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault serves a very unique purpose and holds duplicates of different types of seed from around the world, offering a backup for the world’s food supply in the case of a natural or humanitarian disaster. Located 120 metres inside a sandstone mountain on an island, this ‘doomsday’ vault is intentionally remote, to protect it from any threats from both humankind and natural disasters such as earthquakes.
The Bank of England holds around 400,000 bars of gold, with a combined weight of about 4,600 tons, and more importantly, an estimated combined value of £200 billion, making it the second-largest keeper of gold in the world. The gold is protected by bombproof walls with a security system that includes advanced voice recognition and keys that measure three feet long, as well as numerous other safeguards that the Bank keeps secret.
All estimates regarding the number of security guards and the amount spent by individuals on their security were sourced from a range of sources such as news articles which you can view here.
Note that in the case of Donald Trump, up to date figures for his security since leaving office were not available, and the figures quoted above relate to his time as president.
