Global wealth continued to grow for the third consecutive year in 2025, at a pace that exceeded global economic growth, driven by rising values of financial and non-financial assets, in addition to structural factors including exchange rate movements, intergenerational wealth transfers, and increasing asset ownership among women, according to the Global Wealth Report 2026 issued by UBS and reported by Investing.com.
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The report noted that wealth creation depends not only on productivity or investment returns, but is also influenced by major economic transformations that provide certain markets and individuals with exceptional opportunities to benefit from structural changes in the global economy.
The Dollar Redistributes Wealth
The report considered exchange rate movements to be the most influential factor affecting wealth performance during 2025, as the weakening of the U.S. dollar increased average wealth measured in dollars across most regions of the world.
Western Europe recorded the largest gains among major economies, with average wealth growing by about 17%, while Eastern Europe recorded an increase of about 28%. Wealth also increased by about 8.8% in North America and by 4.6% in Greater China, while Southeast Asia recorded growth of about 1.6%.
The report explained that more than half of the world's personal wealth is concentrated in just two markets. The United States accounts for 37.5% of total global wealth, followed by Greater China with 18.5%, while Europe accounts for about 22%. The Americas combined maintained around 40% of global wealth.
The United States Leads
The report revealed that the number of millionaires worldwide increased by approximately 1.5% during 2025, equivalent to nearly one million new millionaires, or about 2,680 new millionaires every day.
The United States led this growth, adding more than 440,000 millionaires in a single year, representing an increase of 1.9% compared with 2024, or more than 1,200 new millionaires every day.
The report pointed out that none of the 56 markets covered recorded a decline in the number of millionaires during the past year, indicating a broader wealth base despite continued global economic volatility.
Structural Transformations
UBS explained that the transfer of wealth between generations, known as the "Great Wealth Transfer," continues to redistribute assets globally, alongside increasing wealth ownership by women and declining household debt levels in a number of economies, factors that are reshaping patterns of wealth distribution.
The report added that inflation, together with improving living standards in several countries, has helped increasing numbers of individuals move out of the lowest wealth levels, despite continuing concerns about widening income gaps in some economies.
On the other hand, the report indicated that rising levels of government debt are prompting governments to pay greater attention to private wealth, with expectations of increased reliance on tax policies and wealth management to help contain public financing costs.
The report also noted that the spread of social media has made differences in wealth levels more visible to the public, reinforcing perceptions of inequality even in some countries that have actually experienced a decline in wealth disparities.
The report concludes that the path of global wealth creation no longer depends solely on economic growth or financial market performance. It is increasingly influenced by demographic changes, monetary developments, and intergenerational wealth transfers, factors that are expected to play a greater role in reshaping the global wealth landscape in the coming years.
Source: Foreign Press
