China has surpassed the U.S. in the number of billionaires

According to the new 2026 ranking of the world’s wealthiest people, China has become the global leader in the number of billionaires, surpassing the United States. Currently, there are 1,110 individuals with immense wealth in China, and 75% of them have joined this list in the last ten years alone. 

Together, China and the United States account for more than half of the world’s billionaires, reflecting an unprecedented geographical concentration of global wealth. 

The United States has slipped to second place, with exactly 1,000 billionaires (about a quarter of the global total). Despite losing its top spot in this category, the U.S. remains the primary financial hub thanks to its powerful technology sector and the world’s most valuable corporations. In addition, the U.S. is still home to the largest number of multimillionaires, whose net worth exceeds $30 million.

Rounding out the top three is India, where the rapid expansion of the domestic market and industry has led to the emergence of 308 billionaires. It has significantly outpaced Germany, which leads the European region with 171 billionaires. In Europe, the United Kingdom (150 individuals) and Switzerland (114 individuals) also demonstrate a high concentration of wealth, with Switzerland showing an unusually high figure given its small population. By comparison, the total wealth of the world’s richest people reached a historic record of $98.3 trillion at the end of last year. Analysts are also noting a boom in the digital assets sector: the number of crypto-millionaires is growing rapidly worldwide, and at least 36 people have officially achieved crypto-billionaire status.

This is reported by the analytical portal Visual Capitalist.

The world’s 500 richest people saw their wealth increase by a record $336 billion in a single day — Bloomberg.

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