Prince Rahim Aga Khan, formally His Highness Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V, is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and the current spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili community. He succeeded his father, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, on February 4, 2025, following his father’s death. He is also the Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s major international development networks.
Born on October 12, 1971, in Geneva, Switzerland, Prince Rahim is the eldest son of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah Aga Khan. Before becoming Aga Khan V, he spent more than three decades working within the Aga Khan Development Network and serving on the boards of several of its institutions. His professional interests have particularly included economic development, environmental protection and climate change.
Prince Rahim’s succession in 2025 brought him international attention because he inherited one of the world’s oldest hereditary spiritual leadership positions. He became the fifth person in his family to hold the title Aga Khan and assumed leadership of a global Ismaili community spread across numerous countries. His responsibilities also include guiding the AKDN’s work in areas such as healthcare, education, economic development, cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Profile Summary
| Profile | Details |
| Full Name | Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V |
| Common Name | Prince Rahim Aga Khan |
| Date of Birth | October 12, 1971 |
| Age | 54 years old |
| Birthplace | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Multiple citizenships reported |
| Profession | Spiritual Leader, Philanthropist, Development Leader |
| Title | Aga Khan V |
| Religious Position | 50th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims |
| Father | Prince Karim Aga Khan IV |
| Mother | Princess Salimah Aga Khan |
| Education | Phillips Academy Andover, Brown University |
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature |
| Year of Graduation | 1995 |
| Former Wife | Kendra Spears, later Princess Salwa Aga Khan |
| Children | Prince Irfan and Prince Sinan |
| Children Born | 2015 and 2017 |
| Current Position | Chair, Aga Khan Development Network |
| Other Position | Chancellor, Aga Khan University and University of Central Asia |
| Religion | Shia Ismaili Islam |
| Height | Not reliably documented |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Early Life
Prince Rahim Aga Khan was born on October 12, 1971, in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the eldest son of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims in 1957 and spent decades developing the Aga Khan’s global religious and philanthropic institutions. Rahim was born into a family with a long history of religious leadership, philanthropy, business and international development.
His mother is Princess Salimah Aga Khan, formerly Sally Croker-Poole, who was Aga Khan IV’s first wife. Prince Rahim has three younger siblings, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Prince Hussain Aga Khan and Prince Ali Muhammad Aga Khan. Growing up within the Aga Khan family meant that he was exposed from an early age to the Ismaili Imamat and the international institutions associated with his father’s leadership.
Prince Rahim’s childhood and youth were shaped by an unusually international environment. His family lived and worked across several countries, while his father’s responsibilities brought him into contact with governments, development organisations and communities across Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. This international background later became important to Rahim’s own career within the Aga Khan Development Network.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Education
Prince Rahim was educated at Phillips Academy Andover, a prestigious independent boarding school in Massachusetts, United States. His education there provided him with a strong liberal arts foundation before he continued to university. His eventual career would combine international development, institutional leadership and philanthropy, making his broad academic background particularly relevant to his later work.
He subsequently attended Brown University in Rhode Island, where he studied comparative literature. Prince Rahim graduated from Brown University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature. His university education therefore differed from a conventional business or religious studies path, giving him a humanities-based academic background.
His education was followed by a career that gradually brought him into the work of his father’s institutions. Rather than immediately assuming the position of spiritual leader, Prince Rahim spent decades developing experience within the Aga Khan Development Network. This long period of institutional involvement gave him familiarity with the network’s development programmes before he eventually succeeded his father as Aga Khan V.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Career
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Development Network
Prince Rahim spent more than three decades working closely with his father and serving on the boards of numerous agencies within the Aga Khan Development Network. The experience made him deeply familiar with the network’s approach to development and its work across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The AKDN is a large international network focused on improving quality of life through institutions and programmes covering healthcare, education, economic development, culture, infrastructure and environmental sustainability. It operates in more than 30 countries and currently employs approximately 96,000 people. In 2026, its budget for non-profit development activities is approximately $1.3 billion.
Prince Rahim became particularly associated with the network’s environmental agenda. He has taken a strong interest in climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development, particularly in regions where environmental pressures can have serious effects on vulnerable communities.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability became one of Prince Rahim’s most prominent professional interests before he became Aga Khan V. His work within the AKDN included attention to the relationship between environmental conditions, economic development and the welfare of communities in developing regions.
His focus has included the effects of climate change and the need for development programmes to remain environmentally sustainable. This interest has been particularly relevant to Central Asia, where the Aga Khan Development Network has long worked on rural development, education, economic opportunity and environmental challenges.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and the University of Central Asia
Prince Rahim has also played an important role in the University of Central Asia. He became a founding trustee of UCA in 2017 and was closely involved in its governance and strategic direction. After succeeding his father, he assumed the role of Chancellor of the university.
The University of Central Asia was established to provide higher education and promote development in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Prince Rahim’s involvement reflects his broader interest in education as a tool for economic and social development.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Aga Khan University
Following his succession, Prince Rahim also became Chancellor of Aga Khan University. He succeeded Aga Khan IV, who had founded the university and served as its first Chancellor. The university operates in fields including healthcare, education and research and has a significant presence in developing regions.
His role at Aga Khan University places him at the centre of an institution with particular importance to healthcare and medical education. The university’s work is closely connected to the wider development philosophy of the Aga Khan institutions, which seek to improve quality of life through education, research and healthcare.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Becomes Aga Khan V
Prince Rahim’s life changed fundamentally on February 4, 2025, when his father, Aga Khan IV, died in Lisbon, Portugal. According to the tradition of the Shia Imami Ismaili community, Aga Khan IV had designated his successor in his will. Prince Rahim was subsequently announced as the 50th hereditary Imam and took the title Aga Khan V.
His accession made him the spiritual leader of the worldwide Nizari Ismaili community. The position is hereditary but requires designation by the previous Imam. Prince Rahim’s succession therefore represented both a continuation of the Aga Khan dynasty and the beginning of a new phase in the modern history of the Ismaili Imamat.
His accession ceremony was held in Lisbon on February 11, 2025. As Aga Khan V, he inherited responsibility for providing spiritual guidance to the Ismaili community while also overseeing the institutions associated with the Imamat.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Philanthropy
Prince Rahim’s philanthropic work is closely connected to the Aga Khan Development Network. The organisation operates programmes designed to improve the lives of vulnerable communities through education, healthcare, economic opportunity, infrastructure and cultural development.
He has maintained particular attention to people living in poverty and to initiatives that promote education, training and enterprise. His role therefore combines religious leadership with an extensive institutional development agenda.
As Chair of the AKDN, Prince Rahim regularly meets government leaders, international organisations and civil-society representatives. These relationships are intended to strengthen cooperation around development, education, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Trending: Why Is Prince Rahim Aga Khan Famous?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan is currently most prominent because he is the new Aga Khan, having succeeded his father as the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims in February 2025. His succession represented one of the most significant changes in the leadership of the global Ismaili community in decades.
Interest in Prince Rahim has also grown because of his expanded responsibilities within the Aga Khan institutions. As Aga Khan V, he is simultaneously connected to the spiritual leadership of the Ismaili community and the international development activities of the AKDN. He is also Chancellor of Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia.
His background has attracted particular attention because he spent more than 30 years preparing through institutional work before succeeding his father. Rather than entering the role without experience, he had already served on boards across the AKDN and developed specific interests in climate change, environmental protection, education and economic development.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Personal Life
Prince Rahim married American model Kendra Spears in Geneva on August 31, 2013. Following their marriage, Spears became known as Princess Salwa Aga Khan. The couple’s wedding attracted considerable international media attention because of Rahim’s royal and religious status and Spears’ career as an international fashion model.
Prince Rahim and Kendra Spears have two sons. Their first son, Prince Irfan Aga Khan, was born in April 2015, while their second son, Prince Sinan Aga Khan, was born in January 2017. The two boys are members of the Aga Khan family and are part of the next generation of the Ismaili Imamat’s hereditary family.
The marriage between Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa ended in divorce in 2022. Prince Rahim has generally maintained a private approach to his personal life, with his public activities focused mainly on his religious responsibilities, development work and institutional leadership. His two sons remain an important part of his family life.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Age, Religion, Nationality, Height and Physical Appearance
Prince Rahim Aga Khan was born on October 12, 1971, making him 54 years old as of September 2026. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and is the eldest son of Aga Khan IV and Princess Salimah.
Prince Rahim is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and follows the Nizari Ismaili tradition of Shia Islam. His religious position is central to his public identity because the Aga Khan serves as the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili community.
His citizenship has been reported across several countries, reflecting the highly international nature of the Aga Khan family. Reliable public sources do not establish a single simple nationality description that fully captures his citizenship status. His height and precise physical measurements are also not reliably documented by the official institutions associated with him.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Net Worth
Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s exact personal net worth has not been publicly verified. His position should not be confused with the total assets or annual budget of the Aga Khan Development Network, which is a large collection of institutions and development agencies rather than Prince Rahim’s personal property. The AKDN’s 2026 non-profit development budget is approximately $1.3 billion, but that figure does not represent the Aga Khan’s personal wealth.
Prince Rahim comes from the Aga Khan family, which has historically had substantial wealth and extensive international business and philanthropic interests. His late father, Aga Khan IV, was widely described as a billionaire and controlled significant assets through various family and institutional structures. However, inheritance, institutional ownership and personal wealth are separate issues, making it inappropriate to simply transfer estimates of Aga Khan IV’s fortune to his son.
For this reason, Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s net worth should be described as not publicly verified rather than assigning him a precise dollar figure. His position as Aga Khan V gives him enormous institutional responsibility and access to a historic family network, but the publicly available financial information does not establish a reliable personal net-worth figure.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan Legacy
Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s legacy is still developing because he became Aga Khan V only in 2025. His early leadership has nevertheless continued the central principles associated with the modern Aga Khan institutions, particularly the promotion of education, healthcare, economic opportunity, pluralism and sustainable development.
His decades of work within the Aga Khan Development Network before becoming Imam provide an important foundation for his leadership. His particular interest in climate change and environmental protection could become one of the defining themes of his tenure, especially as the effects of climate change increasingly affect vulnerable communities.
Prince Rahim also inherits a major institutional and spiritual legacy from his father, Aga Khan IV. His challenge will be to preserve the institutions built over decades while adapting them to new global problems. As the 50th hereditary Imam, his future legacy will ultimately be measured by how effectively he combines spiritual guidance with the Aga Khan tradition of practical development and service.
Conclusion
Prince Rahim Aga Khan, formally His Highness Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V, is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network. Born in Geneva in 1971, he was educated at Phillips Academy Andover and Brown University before spending more than three decades working within his father’s development institutions. He succeeded Aga Khan IV on February 4, 2025, becoming the fifth Aga Khan and assuming responsibility for a global Ismaili community as well as a major international development network. With his background in comparative literature, long experience in philanthropy and particular interest in climate change and sustainable development, Prince Rahim’s tenure is likely to shape the future direction of the Aga Khan institutions for decades to come.
Frequently Asked Questions About Prince Rahim Aga Khan
Who is Prince Rahim Aga Khan?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and the current Aga Khan. He succeeded his father, Aga Khan IV, on February 4, 2025.
How old is Prince Rahim Aga Khan?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan was born on October 12, 1971. He is 54 years old as of September 2026.
Who is Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s father?
His father was Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and founder of the modern Aga Khan Development Network.
Who is Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s mother?
His mother is Princess Salimah Aga Khan, who was Aga Khan IV’s first wife.
Who is Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s wife?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan was married to American model Kendra Spears, who became known as Princess Salwa Aga Khan after their marriage. They divorced in 2022.
Does Prince Rahim Aga Khan have children?
Yes. Prince Rahim has two sons, Prince Irfan Aga Khan, born in 2015, and Prince Sinan Aga Khan, born in 2017.
What did Prince Rahim Aga Khan study?
Prince Rahim studied at Phillips Academy Andover and later graduated from Brown University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature.
When did Prince Rahim become Aga Khan?
Prince Rahim became Aga Khan V on February 4, 2025, following the death of his father, Aga Khan IV. He is the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
What is Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s role in the Aga Khan Development Network?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan V is the Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network. He oversees an international network involved in healthcare, education, economic development, culture, infrastructure and environmental sustainability.
Is Prince Rahim Aga Khan a billionaire?
Prince Rahim’s exact personal net worth has not been reliably disclosed. Although he comes from the extremely wealthy Aga Khan family, the assets of the family’s institutions and the Aga Khan Development Network should not automatically be treated as his personal wealth.
What is Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s net worth?
Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s personal net worth is not publicly verified. Published estimates should be treated cautiously because there is no authoritative public financial statement establishing his personal fortune.