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According to Bloomberg, by the end of 2024, Elon Musk’s fortune reached $458 billion, surpassing the total household wealth of most countries worldwide. According to UBS and Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2023, only 54 nations now possess more household wealth than the tech entrepreneur’s net worth. This striking reality is visualized in the map above, which shows countries with more or less household wealth than Musk’s fortune.
Take Hungary, for instance, where the total household wealth matches Musk’s fortune at $458 billion. During the winter holiday season, this means one individual’s wealth equals the combined household wealth of an entire nation celebrating Christmas.
The second map, created by Brilliant Maps, reveals an even more fascinating story by showing Musk’s wealth as a percentage of each country’s total household wealth. The numbers tell a compelling story. In his country of residence, the United States, Musk’s fortune represents 0.32% of all household wealth. More strikingly, his wealth equals 29.80% of South Africa’s total household wealth, his birth country.
The wealth gap becomes even more dramatic when looking at smaller economies. In nations like Sierra Leone, Burundi, and East Timor, each with $4 billion in total household wealth, Musk’s fortune represents over 11,000% of their national household wealth. These numbers, drawn from the Global Wealth Report, highlight the vast differences in global wealth distribution.
These extraordinary comparisons offer a unique window into global wealth distribution in the modern world.
