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Key Findings: World Ultra Wealth Report 2026

The world’s ultra wealthy continued to grow in size, wealth, and influence in 2025, with the global UHNW population reaching an all-time high and total net worth surpassing $63.8 trillion. From regional growth trends to city-level rankings and demographic shifts, the World Ultra Wealth Report 2026 captures the full picture.
23 June 2026
Maya Imberg, Maeen Shaban

World Ultra Wealth Report 2026: Key findings

The global UHNW population reached an all-time high in 2025, and the data behind that headline reveals a more nuanced and far-reaching story. Regional growth diverged, new cities entered the rankings, demographic representation continued to shift, and the forecast through 2030 points to an even larger and more geographically diverse ultra wealthy class.

The World Ultra Wealth Report 2026 is Altrata’s 14th annual study of this population. This section examines the scale and influence of the UHNW segment, the forces driving its expansion over the past two decades, and the three industries most shaped by its growth.

Top takeaways 

  • The world’s richest individuals continued to experience dynamic wealth gains in 2025. The global UHNW population expanded by 14.4% to a new all-time high of 556,850 individuals in 2025. This marked a second consecutive double-digit expansion and the strongest annual growth since 2017. Total wealth of the UHNW class soared to $63.8tn in 2025, more than double the annual GDP of the US economy.  
  • The size and wealth of the ultra wealthy class have swelled rapidly over the past two decades. Since 2004 the UHNW population has grown by a cumulative 255%, outpacing the expansion of the global adult population by a factor of seven.  There were just under 51 million millionaires around the world in 2025; within this group the ultra wealthy represent a small 1.1% of the millionaire population, yet their cumulative share of wealth is at a far larger 32%. A key growth segment has been that of the ‘centi-millionaires’, those with a net worth in excess of $100m, driven primarily by the technology boom. There were more than 117,000 centi-millionaires in 2025, almost double the number from 60,000 in 2015. 
  • The three dominant UHNW centers of North America, Asia and Europe all recorded robust growth in ultra wealthy numbers. North America, the world’s leading ultra wealth region, expanded by 15% in 2025 to 224,470 individuals, with double-digit growth in both the US and Canada. Asia consolidated its status as the world’s second-largest ultra wealth region: the UHNW population grew by 15.8% to 141,890 individuals, lifting the region’s share of the global ultra wealthy class to 25%. 
  • The US is by far the largest wealth market in the world, home to 37% of the total UHNW population, more than the combined share of all the other countries in the top 10. US ultra wealthy numbers rose by 15% in 2025 to 206,880, outpacing growth in second-ranked China. All the leading UHNW markets increased their respective wealthy populations, with Hong Kong and Japan standout performers. New York remains the premier UHNW city, home to almost 24,000 UHNW individuals; while Seoul surged up the rankings to make it into the top 12, with the number of UHNW individuals rising by more than a third to 6,220. 
  • By 2030, we forecast a global UHNW population of 746,570 individuals, a substantial increase of 190,000 from its 2025 level. The group’s combined net worth is set to swell by a third, rising to $85tn. Asia is forecast to register the strongest growth in UHNW numbers of the three major regions, but North America will remain the dominant wealth center. Delhi will be the fastest-growing city by UHNW population to 2030, followed by Stockholm and Wuhan (China), with established and emerging wealth hubs across the Nordics, Australia and southeast Asia also featuring prominently. 
Bar chart comparing ultra-high-net-worth population by region in 2025 and forecast for 2030, spanning Africa, Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America.
  • Regional distinctions matter when engaging with this hugely influential cohort. Asia exhibits a somewhat younger UHNW demographic, and North America the oldest. Female UHNW representation is rising gradually in all regions and is highest in Asia, albeit at a still-low 13%. The ‘self-made’ wealthy are most prevalent in North America, where philanthropy ranks almost as highly as sport as a favored interest. Financial services is the predominant industry focus in all three major regions, followed by business and consumer services. Representation of Europe’s UHNW population in the fifth-ranked technology sector is lower than that of both regional peers, while it is higher in hospitality and entertainment. 

With the global UHNW population forecast to reach 746,570 individuals by 2030, the opportunity ahead is as significant as the growth already recorded. The organizations that understand this population today will be best positioned to serve it tomorrow. Download the World Ultra Wealth Report 2026 for the full picture.