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The rich are everywhere. But you can find nearly three-quarters of them across just 10 countries.
Seventy-two percent of the global ultra-wealthy population (265,490 individuals) was spread across 10 countries in 2018, according to Wealth-X's 2019 World Ultra Wealth Report. The report analyzed data from Wealth-X's global database of more than one million records of the world's richest people.
It defines the world's ultra-wealthy population as those with $30 million or more in net worth. While the top 10 countries added a net 1,365 ultra-wealthy individuals since 2017, the combined net worth of all on the list declined by $362 billion (1.5%). However, these changes are close to the global average.
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Take a look at which countries worldwide have the biggest ultra-wealthy populations, ranked in ascending order. Note that Hong Kong ranked in both Wealth-X's top countries and top cities lists, as it's a semi-autonomous, special administrative region of China.
8. Hong Kong has a significantly higher density of ultra-wealthy individuals than all other countries on this list, though the number of the rich and their collective worth did see a decline.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 8,950 (down 10.6%)
Total wealth: $1.18 trillion (down 9%)
Hong Kong benefits from its status as a global financial center, its proximity and trading links to China, and its close ties with Europe and the US.
7. The United Kingdom experienced a rise in its ultra-wealthy population.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 9,575 (up 2.2%)
6. France saw a moderate fall in total net worth compared to the previous year.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 10,145 (up 0.1%)
Total wealth: $1.05 trillion (down 3%)
Many French billionaires, like LVMH founder and CEO Bernard Arnault, are wealthy from success in the global luxury and fashion business, Hugh Carnegy reported for Financial Times.
5. Canada saw a decline in both its ultra-wealthy population and its collective wealth.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 10,395 (down 4.1%)
Total wealth: $1.05 trillion (down 8.8%)
Canada's wealthy are getting richer faster than the rest of the population, according to CBC.
4. Germany witnessed an increase in its ultra-wealthy population and their collective wealth.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 15,685 (up 4%)
3. Japan saw modest falls in its ultra-wealthy population and collective net worth compared to last year.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 17,855 (down 0.3%)
Total wealth: $1.67 trillion (down 0.8%)
While wealth in Japan was affected by a weaker demand in China and downturn in the global consumer electronics cycle, strengthening of the yen against the dollar helped balance it out.
2. China saw a rise in the number of ultra-wealthy residents since 2017, but a drop in collective wealth.
Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals: 24,965 (up 1.3%)
