Library guide · Long-Term Thinking
High-Net-Worth Individuals: Statistics 2026
How many millionaires, ultra-high-net-worth individuals and billionaires there are in 2026, and how much they hold.
In 2026, there are roughly 57 million US-dollar millionaires worldwide, holding close to half of all global personal wealth of more than 500 trillion dollars. Among them, about 510,000 to 715,000 are ultra-high-net-worth individuals with 30 million dollars or more, and around 3,000 are billionaires.
Key takeaways
- Millionaires: about 57.5 million globally, holding roughly 48 percent of all personal wealth (UBS Global Wealth Report 2026).
- UHNW (30 million dollars or more): about 510,810 holding 59.8 trillion dollars (Altrata, 2025); one forecast puts the 2026 figure near 713,000.
- Billionaires: about 3,028 worth a combined 16.1 trillion dollars (Forbes, 2025).
- Definitions differ: net worth (Altrata) and investable assets (Capgemini counts about 25.3 million HNWI) are not the same, so totals vary by report.
The wealthy are counted by several firms, and their totals differ, mostly because they measure different things. Read this as a map of the estimates, with the definition attached to each, rather than a single official number.
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Millionaires
The UBS Global Wealth Report 2026 counts about 57.5 million US-dollar millionaires worldwide, holding roughly 48 percent of all personal wealth. Global wealth rose 10.8 percent in 2025, the fastest pace since 2017, adding nearly one million new millionaires, more than 2,600 a day. The United States alone added over 440,000. A separate measure from Capgemini, which counts investable assets rather than total net worth, reports about 25.3 million high-net-worth individuals holding 98.3 trillion dollars. Both are correct; they simply define wealth differently, which is exactly why totals should never be compared across reports without checking the measure.
The ultra-wealthy
Among millionaires sits a much smaller, far richer group. Altrata counts 510,810 ultra-high-net-worth individuals, each worth 30 million dollars or more, holding a combined 59.8 trillion dollars as of mid-2025. They are just 1.1 percent of millionaires yet hold about 32 percent of their wealth. Altrata forecasts the UHNW population will reach roughly 677,000 by 2030; a 2026 estimate already puts it near 713,000. This is the population from which most family offices are built.
Billionaires
At the summit, Forbes recorded about 3,028 billionaires in 2025, worth a combined 16.1 trillion dollars. Billionaires are a fraction of the ultra-wealthy but hold a large share of their wealth, and their fortunes have grown faster than any other tier.
The transfer ahead
The number driving the whole industry is what happens next: an estimated 84 trillion dollars of US household wealth will pass between generations by 2045 (Cerulli), part of the largest wealth transfer in history. That is the wave every family office, wealth manager and jurisdiction is positioning for. For how this wealth is organised, see What Is a Family Office?
Frequently asked questions
- How many millionaires are there in the world in 2026?
- About 57.5 million US-dollar millionaires, holding roughly 48 percent of all global personal wealth, according to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026. Nearly one million new millionaires were added in 2025, more than 2,600 a day. Capgemini, which counts investable assets rather than net worth, reports about 25.3 million.
- How many ultra-high-net-worth individuals are there?
- About 510,810 individuals with 30 million dollars or more, holding 59.8 trillion dollars, according to Altrata's 2025 report; they are 1.1 percent of millionaires but hold about 32 percent of their wealth. One 2026 estimate puts the figure closer to 713,000. Altrata forecasts roughly 677,000 by 2030.
- How much wealth do the wealthy control?
- Total global personal wealth exceeds 500 trillion dollars, of which millionaires hold about 48 percent. The ultra-wealthy, just over 1 percent of millionaires, control roughly a third of millionaire wealth. Billionaires alone hold about 16 trillion dollars.
This guide is educational and general in nature. It does not constitute investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
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