How Many Millionaires Are There in the World?

Who wants to become a millionaire? The answer is - practically everybody. But, how many millionaires are there in the world already? The answers are a lot less clear on that one.

This is not at all surprising, as there are major discrepancies in how “millionaires” are categorized worldwide. Some studies count millionaires by individual net worth, while others take their households into account as well.

Some only take investable assets into consideration, while other options include homes, art, and other valuables in the summary of a person’s wealth. Here's what the numbers say.

Key Millionaire Statistics for 2026 – Editor’s Choice

• There are 60 million millionaires worldwide at the moment. 
• 88% of all millionaires are self-made, and 84% have a college degree.
• The number of billionaires in 2025 sat at 3,028 individuals.
• In 2025, 123 billionaires lived in New York, and 90 in Moscow.
• It takes the typical self-made millionaire at least 32 years to get rich.

The global number of millionaires reached 60 million in 2025.

(UBS)

This represented an increase of more than 2 million compared to 2024.

The top three countries that had the most millionaires in 2025 were the United States, China, and France.

(Statista)

These three countries have the highest number of millionaires on a global scale. Japan was in fourth place last year, followed closely by Germany.

The United Kingdom lost the most millionaires in 2025, followed by China and India.

(Henley & Partners)

These three countries lost the most millionaires, as economic pressure and the worsening geopolitical situation in the world leads to the migration of high net-worth individuals.
The UK saw a record-breaking exit of 16,500 millionaires last year, while China lost some 7,800.

The United Arab Emirates gained 9,800 millionaires in 2025, easily the most in the world.

(Henley & Partners)

With zero income taxes, the UAE has grown to become a haven for businesses and rich individuals, as more and more wealth flows to the country. The US came in second last year, adding some 7,500 millionaires.

88% of millionaires have a college degree.

(Ramsey Solutions)

In terms of becoming a millionaire, having a college degree certainly pays off. However, pursuing further academic success doesn’t seem as prevalent: Only 52% of millionaires also have master’s degrees or PhDs.

165,000 millionaires will migrate to a different country in 2026.

(Henley & Partners)

The number of these rich individuals moving to other countries is growing rapidly, and this year the projections are that this migration will reach another record-high, after 142,000 in 2025.

The average age to make your first million is 50. It typically takes 32 years to get rich.

(Business Insider)

General wealth trends show that it took 38 years for more than 50% of millionaires to join this category. Only 4% of so-called self-made millionaires made this happen in less than 27 years. This means you can hardly expect to become a millionaire while you’re in your forties - 80% of millionaires didn’t become extremely wealthy before they turned 50.

76% of all millionaires are married.

(Coldwell Banker Luxury)

While more than three-quarters of the top 1% are married, this ratio is lower for their younger subset. However, Millennials still fit the other markers of wealth pretty well: Just like most other millionaires, they typically have only one child, and the vast majority (80%) have single-family homes.

Also, 93% of all millennial millionaires have an average net worth between $1 and $2.49 million, and they donate to charity more than millionaires of other ages.

Millionaires held 47.5% of the world's wealth in 2025.

(Global Wealth Report)

In contrast, individuals with less than $10,000 hold 0.5% of the global wealth, even though they represented 39.5% of the population last year.

The Number of Millionaires in the United States

Since most millionaires in the world currently call the US home, it might be interesting to look at what the numbers say about American millionaires.

80% of American millionaires in 2025 considered themselves self-made.

(Statista) 

Allegedly, only a small percentage of today’s millionaires in the US inherited all their wealth - approximately 11%.

33% percent of American millionaires were women.

(The Quantum)

The number of female millionaires in the US has been rising rapidly, especially when compared to the last decade, where in 2014 some 87% of US millionaires were men.

The average American in 2025 felt that it takes $2.3 million to be considered wealthy in America.

(Schwab)

This was slightly down from $2.5 million stated in 2024.

23.8 million individuals in the US were worth $1 million or more in 2025.

(Credit Suisse)

Currently, around 10% of adults in the US are millionaires. Therefore, if you live in the US, chances are you know at least one millionaire.

76% of US millionaires in 2024 were white.

(Forbes, Statista)

The percentage split among US millionaires has remained pretty much the same in the previous decade, with 8% Asian and Black millionaires, and Latino millionaires accounting for 7%.

Global Billionaire Numbers

Where there is the first million, there is often another, and if your luck keeps, you might even get to travel into space. But how common is that, really?

In 2025, the world got nearly six new billionaires each week.

(Oxfam International)

Last year saw a record-breaking increase in billionaire wealth to $15.8 trillion, with more than $2 trillion added to the wealth of billionaires across the world.

The number of billionaires in 2025 increased to 3,028.

(Forbes)

This represents a big increase compared to 2,769 billionaires in 2024.

New York had the most billionaires in 2025.

(Business Insider)

With 123 billionaires, New York is once again the leading city in the world in this regard, followed by Moscow with 90, and Hong Kong with 72.

Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $840 billion in March 2026.

(Forbes)

Larry Page, currently the second-richest man in the world, lags far behind Musk with $269 billion to his name in 2026.

The billionaires’ fortune rose by $5.7 billion per day in 2024.

(Oxfam International)

This was three times faster than it rose in 2023, showing a massive increase in transfer of wealth to the richest people in the world.

The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals ($30+ million) globally reached approximately 511,000 by mid-2025.

(BBC)

The latest available data also showed that the wealth of these individuals globally grew by 28% in the last decade, and is expected to grow at a similar late in the next years.

At least five people are projected to become trillionaires by 2034.

(Oxfam International)

As the richest pile more and more wealth, we are bound to see the first trillionaire in the world very soon, with some estimates seeing Elon Musk reaching this status as soon as 2027.

The wealth of tech billionaires grew to $2.4 trillion in 2024, the fastest of any sector.

(UBS)

Just ten years ago, tech billionaires had $788.9 billion in total wealth, and the number has tripled since then.

The wealth of heirs grew faster than self-made billionaires for the first time in 2025.

(UBS)

91 heirs inherited a record $297.8 billion last year, signaling an intensification of the multi-generational wealth transfer.