Key takeaways:
- Global rise of the ultra-wealthy
UHNW population and wealth expansion are driving increased demand for luxury goods and services. - Geographic wealth shifts
North America maintains dominance and Asia is projected to experience rapid growth.
- The city effect
The top 10 UHNW cities have become epicenters of luxury consumption.
- Generational wealth transfer
Next Gens are reshaping luxury with new values and expectations.
- Evolving consumer priorities
Philanthropy, wellness, tech, and cultural experiences are fueling engagement.
- Data-driven luxury strategies
Intelligence grounded in data is transforming marketing, sales, and client engagement.
2025: An eye-opening year
Luxury has always been defined by exclusivity, heritage, and prestige. But now, the global landscape of wealth is shifting at an unprecedented pace, and with it the foundations of luxury brand strategy. The ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) class — individuals whose net worth exceeds $30 million — has expanded rapidly in number, and its characteristics have evolved. Their collective wealth, values, and geographic footprint are transforming how luxury brands need to think about marketing, client engagement, and long-term growth.
Our latest report, World Ultra Wealth 2025 provides critical insights into these dynamics. By mid-2025, there were 510,810 UHNW individuals worldwide, holding a combined $59.8 trillion in wealth. This represents nearly ⅓ of all wealth held by high-net-worth (HNW) individuals. While these individuals make up just 1% of the global millionaire population, they have a disproportionate influence on global markets, industries, and culture.
For luxury brands, anywhere from art to watches, real estate to travel, fashion to jewelry, understanding and capitalizing on these trends is crucial. It’s essential to remain relevant and competitive. Below, we explore how rising UHNW populations, intergenerational wealth transfer, shifting consumer values, and geographic concentrations of wealth are redefining luxury brand strategy. These factors demonstrate how data-driven intelligence can enable brands to adapt and stay on course.
The expanding power of the ultra-wealthy
The global UHNW population has expanded dramatically over the past two decades, outpacing the growth of the adult population by a factor of seven. This rise has fueled surging demand for luxury goods and experiences.
- Population growth
The UHNW class grew 5.4% in the first half of 2025, following a 12% growth in 2024 — one of the strongest expansions in a decade.
- Wealth growth
Collective net worth rose by 6.7% in the first half of 2025, after an 11.6% surge the year before.
- Luxury spending
Global spend on personal luxury goods reached $123 billion in 2024, reflecting the diverse and expanding interests of this group.
This sustained growth signals opportunity, but it’s not uniform. Wealth expansion varies sharply by region, country, and city, which requires luxury brands to be highly strategic when it comes to focus areas.
Geographic shifts and their impact on luxury brand strategy
North America: still the epicenter
North America remains the world’s wealthiest region, home to 208,090 UHNW individuals — 41% of the global total. Collective wealth here reached $24 trillion by mid-2025.
For luxury brands, this indicates that the U.S. continues to drive demand for high-end real estate, art, and lifestyle services. But volatility, from trade wars to political realignment, means client engagement strategies must emphasize trust, stability, and long-term value.
Asia: the growth engine
Asia is the second-largest UHNW region, with 129,100 individuals holding $14.8 trillion in wealth. It recorded the fastest expansion of UHNW wealth among the top three regions in early 2025 (10% growth). By 2030, Asia’s UHNW population is projected to grow by nearly 40%, lifting its global share to 27%.
For brands, Asia represents both opportunity and complexity. Markets like India, Singapore, and Southeast Asia are becoming vital growth centers, while established hubs like Hong Kong and Japan continue to lead. It’s important to understand local nuances, cultural preferences, and regulatory landscapes.
Europe: steady, but slower
Europe’s UHNW population reached 127,480 individuals with $14.7 trillion in wealth by mid-2025. While growth lags North America and Asia, Europe remains a vital hub for luxury consumption— particularly in fashion, art, and heritage goods.
Luxury brands should note the rebound in equity markets and rising defense and infrastructure investments, which are reshaping wealth patterns in Germany, France, and the UK.
Middle East: resilience amid instability
The Middle East recorded 21,160 UHNW individuals with $3.5 trillion in wealth. While conflict and oil price volatility present challenges, diversification into real estate, tourism, and finance (especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE) is creating fertile ground for luxury expansion.
Latin America and Africa: emerging opportunities
Though smaller in concentration of wealthy populations, these regions are experiencing important shifts. Brazil remains Latin America’s largest wealth hub, while Africa posted the second-fastest UHNW population growth (7.5% in early 2025) driven by demand for critical minerals. These regions offer long-term potential and first-mover advantages.
The city effect: why urban hubs matter
Nearly 20% of the global UHNW population resides in just 10 cities, with New York and Hong Kong leading the pack.
- New York is home to 21,375 UHNW individuals, solidifying its role as the premier wealth hub.
- Hong Kong shows rapid UHNW growth fueled by financial flows and IPOs.
- Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago are expanding thanks to tech wealth and migratory shifts within the U.S.
For luxury brands, this concentration means targeted city-level strategies, such as exclusive boutiques, VIP events, and art collaborations, can yield outsized impact.
Generational shifts: the great wealth transfer
Perhaps the most transformative trend involves trillions of dollars in wealth being transferred from older to younger generations over the next 15 years.
By 2040, we’ll see Gen X and Next Gens accounting for 80% of the UHNW population. Baby Boomers will shrink to 17% from their current 45% of the UHNW class.
This “Great Wealth Transfer” will redefine luxury demand. Younger wealthy individuals differ from predecessors in multiple ways.
- Values-based consumption
Sustainability, transparency, and purpose-driven brands resonate strongly.
- Experience over ownership
From travel and wellness to immersive cultural experiences, luxury is shifting toward lifestyle enrichment.
- Tech integration
Next Gens embrace digital luxury, from NFTs to online clienteling.
Luxury brands can and should adapt by aligning storytelling with values, embracing experiential marketing, and investing in digital-first engagement.
Shifting consumer values and lifestyle priorities
Interests, passions, and lifestyle priorities are also shifting.
The report reveals:
- Philanthropy
UHNW individuals donated $207 billion in 2023, with education as the most common cause; engagement grows with age but is rising among younger cohorts too.
- Sports and wellness
These topics are universally popular, with investment in sports franchises and wellness tourism growing.
- Technology
Tech is a top interest for Next Gens and Gen X, underscoring the need for digital integration in luxury engagement.
- Art, music, and culture
The arts and culture are increasingly important to older generations, but also popular among UHNW women.
Aligning with these interests through partnerships, sponsorships, and curated experiences can deepen relationships and foster loyalty.
Gender and wealth
While UHNW wealth remains male-dominated at 88%, female representation is rising among Next Gens, where women account for 17%. Inheritance plays a larger role in women’s wealth, but entrepreneurship is also on the rise.
This underscores the importance of inclusive luxury brand strategies that reflect diverse client bases.
The future of wealth: forecast to 2030
The World Ultra Wealth Report projects the global UHNW population will grow to nearly 677K individuals by 2030, adding trillions in net worth.
- Asia: Nearly 40% population growth, led by India and Southeast Asia
- North America: Largest absolute growth (+68,100 individuals), maintaining its 41% share
- Europe: Slower growth, declining to 24% of global share
- Africa: Strong growth from a small base, driven by urbanization and infrastructure investment
What are the next steps for luxury brands to prepare for this reshaped map of wealth? Hint: the work ahead involves leveraging data and intelligence to anticipate demand and engage the right clients.
How to pivot your luxury brand strategy to stay competitive
Amid these trends, brands need sharper tools to identify, engage, and retain UHNW clients. Look for an intelligence provider that can provide:
Verified UHNW profiles
For net worth, affiliations, lifestyle interests, philanthropic activity
- Wealth screening
Focus on individuals who are most likely to engage using verified data sourced from reliable outlets, such as public records, media archives, and structured databases.
- Depth and accuracy
Enrich dossiers with board memberships, philanthropic giving, private foundations, insider shareholdings…all the way to private aircraft ownership.
- Donor research
For philanthropy-aligned engagement, consider values, giving histories, and interest profiles, as these are ideal for cause-driven campaigns and storytelling.
Warm paths and relationships maps
For identifying trusted connections to prospects and brand partners
- Relational intelligence
Tools can map advisors’ and colleagues’ existing connections to potential prospects, illuminating warm paths to introductions.
- Global reach
Relationship mapping overlaid with global intelligence helps expand reach across cultural and geographic barriers, leading to confident introductions into new high-net-worth segments.
CRM-native prospecting tools
For embedding intelligence into clienteling and loyalty strategies for seamless engagement
- Workflow integration
Plug data directly into CRM systems to make sure intelligence enhances marketing and sales workflows without being disruptive.
- Dynamic alerts and enrichment
Timely alerts on wealth changes, promotions, or philanthropic activity, coupled with prospect enrichment, help teams act swiftly and strategically.
These capabilities help CMOs, sales directors, and client engagement leaders translate wealth insights into action. Insights can apply to opening a new boutique in Hong Kong, curating a philanthropic partnership in New York, or launching a personalized campaign for next-gen clients in India. With verified UHNW profiles, warm path mapping, and CRM-native tools, luxury brands can turn wealth trends into strategic advantage — and build deeper, lasting connections with the world’s most influential clients.
Future-proof your luxury brand strategy
The world of wealth is expanding, diversifying, and transferring faster than ever. For luxury brands, this brings a variety of opportunities and challenges. Brands that adapt to geographic shifts, generational change, and evolving values will thrive. On the other hand, brands that cling to old models will risk becoming irrelevant.
By using verified intelligence at every stage of engagement, brands can move beyond transactions. They can prospect smarter, strengthen loyalty, and build lasting relationships with the world’s most influential clients.
While the ultra-wealthy represent only 1% of the global HNW population, their influence is immense. Understanding how they make decisions and anticipating what comes next will help shape luxury brand strategy for the decade ahead.