Countries with the Most Millionaires in 2026: Global Ranking

Over the past year, nearly 1 million new dollar millionaires have emerged worldwide, bringing their total number to 57.5 million. More than 40% of them live in just one country. Learn more about the world’s leaders in terms of the number of millionaires and the distribution of private wealth across regions

Get personal advice from a business lawyer and build your own business without risks and unnecessary expenses

BOOK A CONSULTATION

By the end of 2025, the number of dollar millionaires worldwide had increased by 1.5%, or nearly 1 million people. This means that, on average, more than 2,600 people joined this group every day. In total, about 57.5 million people had a net worth of over $1 million in 2026.

At the same time, private wealth is distributed extremely unevenly: more than half of the world’s total wealth is concentrated in the United States and mainland China. In this article, we’ll look at the ranking of countries with the highest number of millionaires, compiled by Visual Capitalist based on data from the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, and we’ll also explore why the absolute number of wealthy people doesn’t always indicate a high level of well-being for the entire population.

In the previous article, we provided a ranking of the richest countries in the world in 2026 by GDP.

Doing business is always associated with risks: taxes, contracts, inspections, conflicts with partners or government agencies. A personal business lawyer will help you avoid critical mistakes and protect the interests of the company at every stage of its development.

Get advice from a personal business lawyer and find the optimal legal solution today!

How many millionaires are there in the world in 2026, and how was the ranking compiled?

The Visual Capitalist ranking is based on data from the 17th annual UBS Global Wealth Report. It covers 56 markets that account for over 92% of global private wealth. The report defines a dollar millionaire as a person whose net worth exceeds $1 million: financial assets, real estate, and other property are included in the calculation, while debts are subtracted.

As of the end of 2025, there were approximately 57.5 million dollar millionaires worldwide. Over the course of the year, their number increased by 1.5%, or nearly 1 million people. On average, more than 2,600 people attained millionaire status every day.

The total volume of private wealth worldwide grew by 10.8% in dollar terms. This is the fastest rate since 2017 and significantly higher than in 2024 and 2023, when growth stood at 4.6% and 4.2%, respectively. This growth marks the third consecutive year of expansion, though the results are unevenly distributed: more than half of the world’s private wealth remains concentrated in the United States and mainland China.

In our previous article, we discussed why Portugal has become one of the most attractive destinations for the world’s wealthiest people.

Which countries will have the most millionaires in 2026?

The ranking includes dollar millionaires—people whose net worth exceeds $1 million. UBS calculates this figure as the total value of financial and non-financial assets, including real estate, minus debts.

The top ten countries with the largest number of millionaires are:

1. United States – 23,627,000 people

2. China – 5,305,000

3. Japan – 2,902,000

4. Germany – 2,648,000

5. United Kingdom – 2,428,000

6. France – 2,388,000

7. Canada – 2,098,000

8. Australia – 1,634,000

9. South Korea – 1,317,000

10. Netherlands – 1,294,000

These ten countries account for approximately 45.6 million, or nearly 80%, of all dollar millionaires worldwide. The United States and China alone account for approximately 28.9 million such individuals—more than half of the global total.

Countries with the highest number of dollar millionaires in 2026. Source: Visual Capitalist based on the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026. Data for Canada is from 2025.

Learn more about the ranking of the safest countries for investors in 2026 by following the link.

Why does the U.S. lag so far behind other countries in terms of the number of millionaires?

The U.S. is home to 23.6 million dollar millionaires—approximately 41% of the world’s total. This is 4.5 times more than in China, which ranks second, and exceeds the combined total of all other countries in the top ten.

In 2025, the U.S. saw the emergence of more than 440,000 new millionaires. This accounts for nearly half of the global increase and averages more than 1,200 people per day. According to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, one of the main factors was the growth of financial markets.

American households are actively investing in stocks, retirement accounts, and other market assets. In 2025, approximately 62% of American adults owned stocks, either directly or through funds and retirement plans. High levels of entrepreneurial activity and rising real estate prices also contributed to the growth in net worth.

In our previous article, we discussed how to legally diversify your finances within jurisdictions not included in the CRS in 2026.

Europe accounted for half of the spots in the global Top 20

Ten European countries made it into the top twenty. In total, they are home to about 13.5 million dollar millionaires—nearly 23.5% of the global total.

The European countries in the Top 20 are:

- Germany – 4th place, 2.648 million millionaires

- United Kingdom – 5th, 2.428 million

- France – 6th, 2.388 million

- the Netherlands – 10th, 1.294 million

- Italy – 11th, 1.235 million

- Spain – 12th, 1.077 million

- Switzerland – 13th, 944,000

- Belgium – 17th, 556,000

- Sweden – 18th, 507 thousand

- Russia – 19th, 447 thousand

In 2025, private wealth in the EMEA region—which UBS defines as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—grew by 17.5% in dollar terms. By comparison, growth in the Americas was 8.5%, and in the Asia-Pacific region, 5.9%.

At the same time, the high figure for EMEA is partly due to the weakening of the dollar. When assets valued in euros, pounds, or Swiss francs are converted into U.S. dollars, their value may increase even without a corresponding increase in the local currency. Therefore, currency fluctuations affect both the total amount of wealth and the number of people whose wealth exceeds the $1 million mark.

In our previous article, we discussed which countries have the highest corporate tax rates and where it is more advantageous to set up a company.

Why doesn’t a large number of millionaires always mean high levels of public well-being?

The absolute ranking depends largely on population size and the size of the economy. Therefore, the U.S., China, and Japan outrank smaller but wealthier countries, even if the proportion of millionaires among their residents is lower.

For example, Switzerland ranks only 13th in terms of the number of millionaires, with 944,000 people. At the same time, it tops the ranking in terms of average wealth per adult—$910,382. Next come the United States with $696,277 and Luxembourg with $654,732.

The median provides an even more accurate picture of the typical resident’s standard of living: half of adults have wealth above this value, and the other half have less. Luxembourg leads in this metric with $394,005 per adult, while the United States, with a median of $68,998, ranks only 28th. The large difference between the mean and median values indicates an uneven distribution of wealth.

Luxembourg also does not even rank among the top twenty in terms of the absolute number of millionaires—there are about 85,000 in the country. However, among the adult population, approximately one in six residents is a millionaire. Therefore, when assessing a country’s well-being, it is important to consider not only the total number of wealthy people but also their share of the population, median wealth, and the level of wealth inequality.

Investments, opening a company in another country, remote launch of a representative office or team relocation require a clear legal strategy. A personal business lawyer accompanies the entire process: from choosing a jurisdiction and tax model to visa processing and asset protection.

Engage a personal business lawyer and ensure safe relocation and development of your company abroad!

We remind you! Are you planning to invest in real estate under the Golden Visa program? We have already told you which programs in 2025 have become the most profitable for investors. The article compares the UAE, Greece, Turkey, Latvia and Asian countries, the real return on real estate and key risks that should be considered before investing.