The world now has 15 million millionaires, more than the population of Rwanda. The U.S. leads with nearly 5.5 million millionaires, outnumbering Ireland’s entire population. In just 10 years, U.S. millionaires have surged by 62%, holding over a third of the global millionaire total. China and Germany also have impressive numbers, with China having 860,000 millionaires and Germany just over 800,000. Surprisingly, Switzerland’s millionaire count of 428,000 is more than Iceland’s population, showing just how wealthy this tiny country is compared to its size.
Imagine a world where 15 million people are millionaires. That’s more than the entire population of Rwanda, a country in Africa.
In a new visual guide by Pallavi Rao from Visual Capitalist, you can see how the top 10 countries with the most millionaires compare to countries with similar populations.
The data, from Henley & Partners and the World Bank, is up-to-date for 2024. To be clear, a millionaire here means someone with at least $1 million in easily investable assets.
Here’s a snapshot of millionaire populations around the world:
- United States: The U.S. leads with nearly 5.5 million millionaires. To put this in perspective, this number is greater than the entire population of Ireland. Over the past decade, the number of millionaires in the U.S. has skyrocketed by 62%, and in 2024, they make up more than one-third of all millionaires globally. The U.S. attracts millionaires from other countries looking for new opportunities to grow their wealth.
- China: China has about 860,000 millionaires. This is more than the total population of Guyana, a country in South America.
- Germany: With just over 800,000 millionaires, Germany’s millionaire population could completely replace Bhutan’s entire population.
- Switzerland: Switzerland is particularly interesting. It has 428,000 millionaires, which is enough to replace Iceland’s population. This is impressive because Switzerland itself has around 8 million people, meaning about 1 in 20 Swiss residents is a millionaire.
These figures help us understand how wealth is spread around the globe and highlight the significant concentration of millionaires in certain countries.
