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Billionaires accumulated more wealth in 2018 than any recorded year in history. Collectively, billionaires around the world now possess an 8.9 trillion dollars.
The United States dominates global billionaire rankings, led by tech giants like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison. Most of these billionaires derive their wealth from stock market investments tied to their companies. For instance, Mark Zuckerberg once lost $15 billion in a single day, a fraction of the wealth controlled by the 585 billionaires in the US, totaling over $3 trillion.
In the Asia-Pacific region, China emerges as a formidable contender, boasting 373 billionaires with a combined wealth of $1,120 billion, surpassing even Japan, despite its smaller economy. Hong Kong’s billionaires, with a total wealth of $335 billion, also outpace Japan’s.
In Western Europe, Germany leads with 123 billionaires controlling $579 billion, followed by France with 40 billionaires holding $320 billion. Russia, with 101 billionaires worth $409 billion, faces scrutiny due to questionable wealth accumulation methods, contributing to its reputation as one of the world’s most corrupt large economies.
The howmuch.net team created world map of the billioanries. The size of the dot on the map corresponds to the average total wealth of the billionaires living there. The size of the country corresponds to the total wealth of billionaires.
Top 20 countries by the total wealth of the billionaires: 1. United States – 585 2. China – 373 3. Germany – 123 4. India – 119 5. Russia – 101 6. Hong Kong – 67 7. United Kingdom – 54 8. Canada – 46 9. South Korea – 44 10. Australia – 43 11. Italy – 43 12. Brazil – 42 13. France – 40 14. Turkey – 36 15. Switzerland – 36 16. Taiwan – 35 17. Japan – 35 18. Sweden – 32 19. Thailand – 30 20. Spain – 29
Top 20 countries by the total wealth of billionaires: 1. United States – 3096,7 2. China – 1120,1 3. Germany – 579 4. India – 440,1 5. Russia – 409,3 6. Hong Kong – 334,7 7. France – 320,4 8. United Kingdom – 202,9 9. Brazil – 176,7 10. Italy – 170,4 11. Canada – 148,5 12. Mexico – 141 13. Japan – 138,1 14. Spain – 136 15. South Korea – 126,8 16. Sweden – 124,6 17. Switzerland – 123,5 18. Australia – 117,9 19. Thailand – 93,3 20. Taiwan – 84,4
Here are the top 25 billionaires in the world, presented by country.
Here is an animated ranking of the world’s ten richest people since 1985.
Three billionaires (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett) own more than the bottom half of the U.S. Six billionaires own more than the bottom half of the world.
The map below, which displays billionaires whose net worth is comparable to the GDP of African countries, is particularly spectacular.
In the realm of wealth, individuals with a net worth exceeding $30 million are classified as Ultra High Net Worth Individuals. Globally, there are a total of 198,342 Ultra High Net Worth Individuals.
The richest people on the planet are concentrated in cities. As per data from visualcapitalist.com, London remains at the forefront, boasting a population of 4,944 ultra-wealthy residents currently, with projections indicating a surge to over 6,000 by 2023.
The cities with the most ultra-rich residents
Tokyo currently ranks second after London in terms of the number of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWIs). However, its growth rate in adding UHNWIs is slower compared to other competing cities. Consequently, Singapore is projected to claim the second position overall by 2023, with an estimated total of 4,393 high net worth residents.
It’s worth highlighting that only two cities among the top 10 are expected to experience growth exceeding a 30% rate over the next five years. Shanghai and Beijing emerge as cities of significant interest for the foreseeable future, as they consistently attract millionaires and billionaires at a faster pace than other major cities.
Two Indian cities, namely Delhi and Mumbai, lead the list and are poised to witness a nearly 40% increase in their ultra-rich populations over the next five years. China also demonstrates a notable presence in this regard.
Interestingly, a few non-Asian cities narrowly missed the top 10 rankings: Auckland (#11), Madrid (#12), Munich (#13), and Nairobi (#14) are all projected to expand their UHNWI populations by approximately 25% by 2023.
Japan is not doing so much