20 Countries With the Highest Number of Billionaires
America is famous for being the birthplace of many billionaires — including the very first, John D. Rockefeller. However, the U.S. isn’t the only country where billionaires come from or choose to reside.
Countries like China, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom have had their fair share of wealthy residents along with the U.S. When looking globally, it turns out the U.S. isn’t the only land of opportunity.
Visual Capitalist breaks down which countries have the most billionaires living within their respective borders. The U.S. makes the top 20, but where exactly does it fall on the list?
Measuring the Wealthy
Calculating the wealth of billionaires is difficult since data varies depending on the source. The ranking in this article is based on Visual Capitalist taking Hurun Global Rich list information from 2024 to present their top 20 countries with the greatest number of billionaires.
The two countries at the top of the list switch depending on the source. There are reportedly 2,781 billionaires in the world, which makes some data hard to track.
Which Country Is First
There was substantial change in the countries with the greatest number of billionaires over the last year. The number one country on the list lost 155 billionaires, while the second-place country added 109 billionaires between last year and now.
While the U.S. is the leader in the world in certain rankings, like gross domestic product, this list will likely surprise many. Which countries give the U.S. a run for its money when it comes to where billionaires are living worldwide?
America and China Lead
Even though the U.S. was the birthplace of the first billionaire, China is first when it comes to where billionaires currently call home, according to Visual Capitalist. The top two spots hold a lot of money, though. Together, China and the U.S. account for 1,614 billionaires, which is almost half the total number of billionaires worldwide.
China’s richest person is beverage company billionaire Zhong Shanshan. Although he’s first in his country, Shanshan comes in 21st on the list of the richest individuals worldwide. Meanwhile, the U.S. takes up four out of the five spots on the richest people in the world list, with France ranking first.
France’s Top-Ranked Billionaire
France comes in ninth on the list of countries billionaires call home with a total of 69. But, the richest person in the world reportedly comes from France. Bernard Arnault, the French founder of the luxury company LVMH, has a fortune of approximately $233 billion.
Elon Musk, who currently lives in the U.S., trails right behind Arnault by a gap of $38 billion. Musk, who was born in South Africa, arrived in the U.S. at the age of 17. He is currently estimated to be worth $195 billion.
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Whether you dream of being in the top 1% or think you might already be there, one thing is certain: The income a household makes to be in the top 1% club varies by state. Here’s how much you need to make to have a higher income than 99% of Americans.
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