In 2023, roughly 1.49 billion adults worldwide had a net worth of less than 10,000 U.S. dollars. By comparison, 58 million adults had a net worth of more than one million U.S. dollars in the same year. Wealth distribution The distribution of wealth is an indicator of economic inequality. The United Nations says that wealth includes the sum of natural, human, and physical assets. Wealth is not synonymous with income, however, because having a large income can be depleted if one has significant expenses. In 2023, nearly 1,700 billionaires had a total wealth between one to two billion U.S. dollars. Wealth worldwide China had the highest number of billionaires in 2023, with the United States following behind. That same year, New York had the most billionaires worldwide.

Graph and download economic data for Households; Net Worth, Level (BOGZ1FL192090005Q) from Q4 1987 to Q4 2024 about net worth, Net, households, and USA.

In Brazil, the bottom 50 percent had a negative average personal wealth in 2021, which means that the value of their debts exceeded that of their assets. In comparison, in Argentina, average personal wealth of the bottom 50 percent reached 3,500 euros that same year. In stark contrast, the richest one percent in Brazil held an average wealth of 1.79 million euros, revealing the high level of inequality i the country.

In 2022, the average net personal wealth among the most affluent one percent of Spanish population was 3.15 million euros. On the other side, the wealth of bottom 50 percent of the wealth holders in the country was estimated at 17,300 euros. When looking at the evolution of wealth distribution in Spain during the last decades, it can be observed, that the share of wealth held by the least affluent half of the population is now lower than it was at the beginning of the 21th century.

Graph and download economic data for Net Worth Held by the Top 0.1% (99.9th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBLTP1246) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

In Europe, the variation in average amounts of financial wealth per adult varied considerably as of 2022, from approximately 449,000 U.S. dollars in Switzerland to roughly 1,200 U.S. dollars in Azerbaijan. In Europe, the overall average financial wealth per adult as of 2022 was 84,308 U.S. dollars. In terms of private wealth, Europe held the second highest value in the world, after North America.

What is financial wealth?

Financial wealth, also known as financial assets or liquid assets can include wealth that an individual has in the forms of cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and bank deposits. In addition to financial wealth, wealth can also be measured in other assets, called non-financial wealth. This includes physical assets, such as real estate, land, vehicles, jewelry, and art, just to name a few.

Where do most wealthy individuals live?

Individuals with a net worth over one million U.S. dollars are called high-net worth individuals (HNWI). The United States was the home country to the highest number of HNWIs in 2021. China followed, although their number of HNWIs did not even reach one third of the number in the United States. In Europe, Switzerland is the country with the highest average financial wealth per adult, but with its small population size, the number of HNWIs does not come near the numbers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy – the European countries with the highest number of HNWIs. Considering Switzerland’s small population size, however, it is the country in the world with the highest proportion of millionaires.

Graph and download economic data for Net Worth Held by the 50th to 90th Wealth Percentiles (WFRBLN40080) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

The average net worth of families in the United States increased nearly twofold between 1989 and 2007, when it reached 687,000 U.S. dollars. Following the financial crisis of 2008, the average net worth of Americans families dropped to 580,000 U.S. in 2013. In the following years, American families' net worth started increasing again, reaching a value of nearly 750,000 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, Switzerland led the ranking of countries with the highest average wealth per adult, with approximately 709,600 U.S. dollars per person. Luxembourg was ranked second with an average wealth of around 607,500 U.S. dollars per adult, followed by Hong Kong SAR. However, the figures do not show the actual distribution of wealth. The Gini index shows wealth disparities in countries worldwide. Does wealth guarantee a longer life? As the old adage goes “money can’t buy you happiness”, yet wealth and income are continuously correlated to the quality of life of individuals in different countries around the world. While greater levels of wealth may not guarantee a higher quality life, it certainly increases an individual’s chances of having a longer one. Although they do not show the whole picture, life expectancy at birth is higher in the more wealthier world regions. Does money bring happiness? A number of the world’s happiest nations also feature in the list of those countries for which average income was highest. Finland, however, which was the happiest country worldwide in 2022, is missing in the list of top twenty countries with the highest wealth per adult. As such, the explanation for this may be the fact that the larger proportion of the population has access to a high income relative to global levels. Measures of quality of life Criticism of the use of income or wealth as a proxy for quality of life led to the creation of the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Although income is included within the index, it also has other factors taken into account such as health and education. As such, the countries with the highest human development index can be correlated to those with the highest income levels. That said, none of the above measures seek to assess the physical and mental environmental impact of a high quality of life sourced through high incomes. The happy planet index demonstrates that the inclusion of experienced well-being and ecological footprint in place of income and other proxies for quality of life results in many of the world’s materially poorer nations being included in the happiest.

Graph and download economic data for Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Net Worth as a Percentage of Disposable Personal Income, Level (HNONWPDPI) from Q4 1946 to Q4 2024 about net worth, disposable, nonprofit organizations, personal income, Net, percent, personal, households, income, and USA.

Household net worth statistics aims to provide a picture of the net worth (wealth) of New Zealanders, by looking at their household assets and liabilities – financial and non-financial.

Ireland Household Net Wealth: Financial Assets data was reported at 556.415 EUR bn in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 532.650 EUR bn for Jun 2024. Ireland Household Net Wealth: Financial Assets data is updated quarterly, averaging 317.807 EUR bn from Mar 2002 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 91 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 556.415 EUR bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 167.745 EUR bn in Sep 2002. Ireland Household Net Wealth: Financial Assets data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.AB023: Household Net Wealth.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States follows closely behind China as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Elon Musk alone held around 219 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Household net worth statistics aims to provide a picture of the net worth (wealth) of New Zealanders, by looking at their household assets and liabilities – financial and non-financial.

Australia Household: Net Worth data was reported at 16,884.900 AUD bn in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,484.000 AUD bn for Jun 2024. Australia Household: Net Worth data is updated quarterly, averaging 5,137.900 AUD bn from Sep 1988 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 145 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,884.900 AUD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 1,204.100 AUD bn in Sep 1988. Australia Household: Net Worth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.AB045: SNA08: SESCA08: Balance Sheet: Households.

Korea Average: AH: 30~39: Net Worth data was reported at 217,690.000 KRW th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 198,530.000 KRW th for 2016. Korea Average: AH: 30~39: Net Worth data is updated yearly, averaging 181,560.000 KRW th from Mar 2010 (Median) to 2017, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 217,690.000 KRW th in 2017 and a record low of 157,160.000 KRW th in 2010. Korea Average: AH: 30~39: Net Worth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Korea. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.H078: SHFLC: Household Assets, Liabilities & Income By Age Groups of Households Head (10Age).

Graph and download economic data for Median Personal Income in the United States (MEPAINUSA646N) from 1974 to 2023 about personal income, personal, median, income, and USA.

Household net worth statistics aims to provide a picture of the net worth (wealth) of New Zealanders, by looking at their household assets and liabilities – financial and non-financial.

This table contains 58320 series, with data for years 1999 - 2016 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (20 items: Canada; Atlantic; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; ...); Assets and debts (27 items: Total assets; Private pension assets; Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs), Locked-in Retirement Accounts (LIRAs) and other; Employer-sponsored Registered Pension Plans (EPPs); ...); Net worth quintiles (6 items: Total, all net worth quintiles; Lowest net worth quintile; Second net worth quintile; Middle net worth quintile; ...); Statistics (6 items: Total values; Percentage of total assets or total debts; Number holding asset or debt; Percentage holding asset or debt; ...); Confidence intervals (3 items: Estimate; Lower bound of a 95% confidence interval; Upper bound of a 95% confidence interval).

Germany DE: Households: Net Worth data was reported at 14,653,575.000 EUR mn in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 13,870,811.000 EUR mn for 2019. Germany DE: Households: Net Worth data is updated yearly, averaging 9,854,020.000 EUR mn from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2020, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,653,575.000 EUR mn in 2020 and a record low of 7,669,107.000 EUR mn in 2005. Germany DE: Households: Net Worth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.IMF.FSI: 2006 Methodology: Sectoral Financial Statement: Balance Sheet: Annual.