Over ** million individuals residing in the United States belonged to the global top one percent of ultra-high net worth individuals worldwide in 2022. China ranked second, with over **** million top one percent wealth holders globally. France followed in third.

Between December 2019 and 2021, the top one percent of earners accumulated 63 percent of all new wealth worldwide. This is more than six times more wealth than accumulated by the bottom 90 percent over the same time period.

Global wealth distribution Newly generated wealth landing in the hands of the few is not a new story and has been the focus of international development policy for many years. Looking at a regional level, Latin America was the region with the starkest distribution of wealth. In this region, 77 percent of the wealth was held by the richest 10 percent in 2021, and only 0.5 percent held by the poorest 50 percent. At an individual level, around 2.82 billion adults worldwide had a net worth of less than 10,000 U.S. dollars in 2021.

Billionaires In 2021, the highest concentration of billionaires could be found in North America. However, China had the largest number of billionaires in its population in 2022, with most living in Beijing. Looking at wealth distribution amongst billionaires themselves, 20 people had fortunes of 50 billion U.S. dollars or more, but the majority of billionaires had a personal fortune between two and five billion U.S. dollars.

In December 2022, Elon Musk slipped from the top spot of richest people on Earth. The number one spot was taken by French magnate, Bernard Arnault of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

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 Q1 2025 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

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.

Italy AAHI: Number of Income Earner: One data was reported at 18,257.000 EUR in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 17,637.000 EUR for 2015. Italy AAHI: Number of Income Earner: One data is updated yearly, averaging 17,367.500 EUR from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2016, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18,257.000 EUR in 2016 and a record low of 14,431.000 EUR in 2003. Italy AAHI: Number of Income Earner: One data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Italy – Table IT.H014: Average Annual Household Income.

Key information about South Korea Monthly Earnings

• South Korea Monthly Earnings stood at 3,200 USD in Dec 2024, compared with the previous figure of 2,724 USD in Nov 2024
• South Korea Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2008 to Dec 2024, with an average number of 2,747 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 3,948 USD in Jan 2022 and a record low of 1,673 USD in Nov 2008

CEIC converts Monthly Earnings into USD. The Ministry of Labour provides Average Monthly Earnings in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Monthly Earnings exclude Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry sectors. Monthly Earnings prior to January 2020 cover businesses with 1 or more employees and are based on the 9th Korean Standard Industry Clasification (KSIC). Monthly Earnings prior to January 2011 cover businesses with 5 or more employees and are based on the 9th Korean Standard Industry Clasification (KSIC).


Further information about South Korea Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, South Korea Population reached 52 million people in Dec 2024
• Unemployment Rate of South Korea dropped to 3 % in Jan 2025
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 63 % in Jan 2025

Key information about Mexico Monthly Earnings

• Mexico Monthly Earnings stood at 908 USD in Feb 2025, compared with the previous figure of 902 USD in Jan 2025
• Mexico Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 578 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 1,045 USD in May 2024 and a record low of 411 USD in Feb 2000

CEIC calculates Monthly Earning from Average Daily Quote Salaries multiplied by 30 and converts it into USD. Secretary of Labor and Social Security provides Average Daily Quote Salaries in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Further information about Mexico Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, Mexico Population reached 132 million people in Dec 2024
• Unemployment Rate of Mexico increased to 3 % in Jan 2025
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 59 % in Jan 2025

Facebook probably needs no introduction; nonetheless, here is a quick history of the company. The world’s biggest and most-famous social network was launched by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a...

YouTube was launched in 2005. It was founded by three PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who ran the company from an office above a small restaurant in San Mateo. The first...

Key information about Belarus Monthly Earnings

• Belarus Monthly Earnings stood at 703 USD in Jan 2025, compared with the previous figure of 778 USD in Dec 2024
• Belarus Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1994 to Jan 2025, with an average number of 360 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 778 USD in Dec 2024 and a record low of 15 USD in Mar 1994

CEIC converts Monthly Earnings into USD. The National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus provides Gross Monthly Wages in local currency. The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Monthly Earnings prior to January 2016 are calculated from BYR. Since 2016, the national currency became BYN (1 BYN = 10 000 BYR).


Further information about Belarus Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, Belarus Population reached 9 million people in Dec 2023
• Unemployment Rate of Belarus remained the same at 0 % in Dec 2024
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 87 % in Dec 2022

Average salary data for major professional sports leagues worldwide

Key information about Montenegro Monthly Earnings

• Montenegro Monthly Earnings stood at 1,241 USD in Jan 2025, compared with the previous figure of 1,262 USD in Dec 2024
• Montenegro Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2004 to Jan 2025, with an average number of 902 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 1,262 USD in Dec 2024 and a record low of 337 USD in Jan 2004

CEIC converts Monthly Earnings into USD. The Statistical Office of Montenegro provides Gross Average Monthly Wages in EUR. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Further information about Montenegro Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, Montenegro Population reached 1 million people in Jun 2022
• Unemployment Rate of Montenegro dropped to 11 % in Sep 2024
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 65 % in Sep 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-earning soccer player in the world in 2025, being paid around 275 million U.S. dollars a year. The bulk of this sum came from on-field income, such as salary and bonuses. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi earned around 135 million U.S. dollars per year, with a larger share coming from off-pitch income. Who is better, Messi or Ronaldo? Messi and Ronaldo have been compared throughout their careers, with both players having exceptional ability. On the one hand, Ronaldo is the record goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League and holds many of the individual records in the competition. However, Messi has the one medal that Ronaldo could never win: the World Cup. The Argentinian lifted the famous trophy in 2022 after an exhilarating tournament, in which he scored seven goals. Ronaldo and Al-Nassr: an example of sportswashing? Ronaldo is undoubtedly the most well-known player to ever play in the Saudi Pro League, earning a salary more than most people can only dream of. Outside of soccer, Saudi Arabia’s investment in sporting events has been substantial, and human rights organizations have accused the country of using sport to whitewash – or sportswash – human rights abuses. Following his move to Al-Nassr, Amnesty International called on Ronaldo to bring attention to human rights issue in the country. Ronaldo, meanwhile, said he wanted to provide a different vision of the club and country.

In 2024, the**************************************o posted the highest revenue of any company in the world before taxes, with an income of over *** billion U.S. dollars. ************************************************** rounded out the top five spots in the ranking of most profitable companies. What is net income? Net income, or net profit, which differs slightly from pre-tax income, is the figure that gives the most complete overview of a company’s profitability: It is calculated as the revenue of a company less all operating expenses, debt payments, interest paid, income from subsidiary holdings, taxes, etc. Different industries have different net profit margins. The Apple doesn’t fall far In terms of market value, Microsoft was the largest company in the world in 2024, with Apple following in second. Since the beginning of the new millennium, Apple has reported ever rising amounts of worldwide revenue, with iPhone sales leading the charge.

With over *** billion U.S. dollars in revenue, Walmart topped the ranking of the hundred largest companies globally, followed by Amazon. Walmart was also the largest company in the world based on its number of employees, with some *** million all over the world. Largest corporations based on revenue - additional information The concept of revenue itself might slightly differ depending on country or even from one company to another. It usually refers to the income resulted from normal business activities, such as the sale of goods and services to customers. Walmart The American-based multinational corporation Walmart was founded in 1962 and currently operates over ****** stores worldwide, out of which ***** are in the United States alone. In 2024, Walmart was ranked the third most valuable retail brand in the world, with a brand value of about ** billion U.S. dollars. Follow this link to get access to the top 500 companies from all industries list.

In Bolivia, 52.6 percent of consumers earned at least the equivalent of the highest 40 percent of global income earners as of 2022 in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. Those who earned at least the equivalent of the top 10 percent of global income earners stood at one percent.

About 50.4 percent of the household income of private households in the U.S. were earned by the highest quintile in 2023, which are the upper 20 percent of the workers. In contrast to that, in the same year, only 3.5 percent of the household income was earned by the lowest quintile. This relation between the quintiles is indicative of the level of income inequality in the United States. Income inequalityIncome inequality is a big topic for public discussion in the United States. About 65 percent of U.S. Americans think that the gap between the rich and the poor has gotten larger in the past ten years. This impression is backed up by U.S. census data showing that the Gini-coefficient for income distribution in the United States has been increasing constantly over the past decades for individuals and households. The Gini coefficient for individual earnings of full-time, year round workers has increased between 1990 and 2020 from 0.36 to 0.42, for example. This indicates an increase in concentration of income. In general, the Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of one indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing. Income distribution is also affected by region. The state of New York had the widest gap between rich and poor people in the United States, with a Gini coefficient of 0.51, as of 2019. In global comparison, South Africa led the ranking of the 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution in 2018. South Africa had a score of 63 points, based on the Gini coefficient. On the other hand, the Gini coefficient stood at 16.6 in Azerbaijan, indicating that income is widely spread among the population and not concentrated on a few rich individuals or families. Slovenia led the ranking of the 20 countries with the greatest income distribution equality in 2018.

In 2023, it was estimated that YouTube Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) ranked first as the top-earning YouTuber worldwide with earnings of approximately ** million U.S. dollars. Comedic duo Rhett & Link ranked second, with an estimate of ** million U.S. dollars earned during the last measured year. Fourth-ranked Ryan Kaji, who goes by Ryan on his YouTube channel, called Ryan's World, is 12 years old and earned ** million U.S. dollars in the past year, surpassing YouTuber Jake Paul. YouTube most popular channels and creators Created in 2005, YouTube has become one of the most popular social networks worldwide. In 2023, YouTube had approximately *** million users worldwide. As of February 2024, the most-subscribed YouTube channels did not only include popular video game commentators or comedy creators, but also children-specific channels, such as nursery rhymes channel Cocomelon, Kids Diana Show, and Like Nastya. Beauty and skincare YouTubers were also among the most beloved content creators for users on the social video platforms, with channels such as Sandra Cires Art and Jeffree Star recording over ** million subscribers as of March 2024. Content for children In 2023, U.S. children were estimated to have spent over ** minutes per day on average watching YouTube content. Despite being based on user-generated content such as make-up tutorials, toy reviews, or comedy sketches, YouTube channels for kids present professional video production values and full-time work commitment to the platform. As of March 2024, Cocomelon had over ***** billion views, while the Kids Diana Show had over *** billion views.

As of August of 2022, the highest earning OnlyFans accounts ever were the musicians Bhad Bhabie and Cardi B, having earned **** million U.S. Dollars and **** million U.S. Dollars respectively. The highest paid non-musician was Blac Chyna, having earned **** million U.S. Dollars.

Michael Jordan is the undisputed leader when it comes to the highest paid athletes in history. The basketball legend and former Chicago Bulls star was estimated to have earned a staggering 3.75 billion U.S. dollars throughout his career, thanks to his on-court accomplishments, endorsements, and ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan's enduring popularity and iconic status have cemented his place as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Golfers earning big bucks on and off the course

Interestingly, the three of the next five athletes on the list of highest paid athletes of all time are all golfers. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods all earned a significant amount of money during their careers. These golfing greats managed to secure lucrative endorsement deals with major brands and also enjoyed success on the golf course, with multiple major championships to their names.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way for soccer players

Soccer can be considered one of the most popular sports in the world and the highest soccer player in the ranking of highest paid athletes is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar was in third place on the list, with estimated lifetime earnings of over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Ronaldo's on-field achievements, combined with his large numbers of social media followers make him one of the most recognizable and highest-paid athletes of all time.

Gender pay gap in sport

In terms of female athletes, Serena Williams was the highest placed athlete on the list, coming in at 40th place, with lifetime earnings of 630 million U.S. dollars. Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and won an impressive 23 Grand Slam titles during her career. She has also been a vocal advocate for women's rights and equal pay in sports, paving the way for future generations of female athletes to succeed and prosper. Serena Williams' relatively low rank on the list of highest paid athletes of all time is indicative of the gender pay gap that exists in sports. Despite being one of the most successful and dominant tennis players in history, Williams earned significantly less than many of her male counterparts. For example, Roger Federer, who won fewer Grand Slam titles than Williams, ranked ninth on the list, having earned almost 1.50 billion U.S. dollars throughout his career.

This disparity in earnings is not unique to tennis, as it is a pervasive issue in sports across the board. Female athletes are often paid less than male athletes for performing the same job, even when they achieve comparable levels of success and generate similar levels of revenue. This gender pay gap within sports can be attributed to a variety of factors, including differences in media coverage, sponsorships, and endorsement deals.