The World's Richest Countries in 2026: A New Ranking of Population Well-Being

The average wealth per adult in Switzerland exceeds €777,000, while in Eastern Europe the regional figure is about €53,000. Learn more about the world’s richest countries and the difference between average and median household income

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Global personal wealth grew by 10.8% in 2025, and the number of dollar millionaires increased by nearly one million. At the same time, these assets are distributed extremely unevenly: the U.S. accounts for 38.1% of the personal wealth across the 56 markets surveyed, Western Europe for 21.9%, and Eastern Europe for just 3.3%.

This is according to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, whose data was analyzed by Euronews. The ranking also shows that a country may rank high in terms of average wealth but significantly lower in terms of median wealth due to the concentration of a large portion of assets among a small group of people.

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

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What does wealth per adult mean?

In the UBS ranking, wealth does not refer to annual salary or the amount of money in a bank account. The metric encompasses a person’s financial assets, real estate, and other property, net of mortgages, loans, and other debts.

Two main indicators are used to compare countries:

1. Average wealth—the total wealth of the adult population divided by the number of adults

2. Median wealth—the wealth level of the person in the middle of the ranking: half of adults have more, and the other half have less

The average figure can rise sharply due to the assets of a small number of millionaires and billionaires. The median is less influenced by the wealthiest citizens, so it better characterizes the financial situation of the typical person. This is precisely why the rankings of many countries differ significantly between the two measures.

In our previous article, we discussed the countries with the highest number of millionaires in 2026.

Where is average wealth the highest?

At the end of 2025, Switzerland topped the global ranking, with an average wealth of €777,506 per adult. This is approximately €183,000 more than in the United States, which ranked second with €594,651.

The top ten also included:

1. Luxembourg – €559,170

2. Hong Kong – €553,648

3. Australia – €526,352

4. Singapore – €450,266

5. Denmark – €446,959

6. New Zealand – €384,193

7. Norway – €363,303

8. Netherlands – €354,673

European countries occupy 18 of the 30 positions in the ranking. Aside from the leaders, average wealth exceeds €300,000 in Belgium (€348,382) and Sweden (€347,089).

At the same time, the difference between Switzerland and Greece—which rounds out the top 30 with €122,421—exceeds €655,000, or is approximately 6.4 times greater.

Average wealth per adult in selected countries worldwide. Source: UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, visualization by Euronews.

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

How do the figures for Europe’s largest economies differ?

The difference in average wealth among Europe’s five largest economies is relatively small. Germany ranks highest, taking 14th place in the global ranking with €296,023 per adult.

The countries are ranked as follows:

1. France – €291,536 and 15th place

2. Spain – €261,689 and 20th place

3. United Kingdom – €250,071 and 21st place

4. Italy – €238,653 and 23rd place

The gap between Germany and Italy is about €57,400, or 24%. At the same time, some smaller European economies outperform all five of these countries. For example, in Ireland, average wealth reaches €268,312, and in Denmark, it is €446,959 per adult.

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

Median wealth changes the country rankings

In terms of median wealth, Luxembourg ranks first with €336,498 per adult. Belgium ranks second with €236,712, although it is only in 11th place based on average wealth.

The top ten also includes:

1. Australia – €180,018

2. New Zealand – €176,460

3. Denmark – €174,029

4. Hong Kong – €160,533

5. Canada – €126,237

6. Switzerland – €124,310

7. Norway – €119,569

8. Japan – €115,932

European countries occupy 19 of the 30 spots in the median ranking. However, Switzerland, which leads in terms of average wealth, drops to eighth place. Its median figure is nearly 6.3 times lower than the average, indicating an uneven distribution of assets.

Median wealth per adult in selected countries worldwide. Source: UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, visualization Euronews.

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

Where is the largest gap between average and median wealth?

The most striking change is taking place in the United States. The country ranks second in terms of average wealth at €594,651, but drops to 28th place based on the median figure, which stands at just €58,927. The difference is more than tenfold, indicating a high concentration of assets among the wealthiest segment of the population.

Significant changes are also observed in other countries:

- Germany drops from 14th to 30th place: from €296,023 to €45,679

- Sweden drops from 12th to 23rd place: from €347,089 to €71,773

- Singapore drops from 6th to 20th place: from €450,266 to €82,359

- Japan, on the other hand, rises from 24th to 10th place

- Italy moves from 23rd to 11th place

Among Europe’s five largest economies, Italy has the highest median wealth—€111,881. It is followed by the United Kingdom (€107,042), France (€104,106), Spain (€95,290), and Germany (€45,679). Higher positions in the median ranking typically indicate that assets are distributed more evenly among the population rather than being concentrated primarily among the wealthiest group.

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.

How much richer is Western Europe than Eastern Europe?

By region, average wealth in Western Europe stands at €287,884 per adult. This is approximately 5.4 times higher than in Eastern Europe, where the figure stands at only €53,055.

The highest figures were recorded in the United States and Oceania:

- United States – €594,651

- Australia and New Zealand – €503,309

- Western Europe – €287,884

- the Middle East and South Africa – €72,851

- Greater China – €71,906

- Eastern Europe – €53,055

- Latin America – €36,659

- Southeast Asia – €36,551

The average figure for the U.S. is more than double that of Western Europe and approximately 16 times that of Southeast Asia. However, these figures do not show how evenly wealth is distributed within each region.

Average wealth per adult by region of the world. Source: UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, visualization by Euronews.

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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.