Where the World’s Richest People Live: The Country Rankings Came as a Surprise
25 June 07:55
China has regained its status as the world’s leading country in terms of the number of dollar billionaires. According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2026, the country is home to 1,110 people with a net worth of at least one billion dollars. A Visualcapitalist infographic ranks countries by the number of billionaires residing there in 2026, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
How Many Billionaires Live in the World
The 2026 Hurun ranking counted 4,020 dollar billionaires—the highest number in the history of the study.
Compared to the previous year, their number increased by 578 people, or 17%. In fact, over the course of the year, an average of nearly two new billionaires appeared in the world every day.
The total wealth of those on the list grew by 28%. The list includes entrepreneurs and heirs to large fortunes from 73 countries.
About 69% of billionaires built their fortunes on their own, while 31% inherited a significant portion of their wealth.
China topped the global ranking
There are 1,110 billionaires living in China. Over the past year, their number increased by 287.
This growth allowed the country to overtake the U.S. and reclaim its status as the world’s billionaire capital.
It is particularly telling that about 75% of today’s Chinese billionaires were not on the list ten years ago. This demonstrates just how rapidly the sources of great wealth have changed in the country.
The main drivers of this growth were:
- industrial production;
- semiconductors;
- healthcare;
- electric vehicles and batteries;
- consumer electronics;
- artificial intelligence;
- robotics.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
The U.S. Remains the Second-Largest Hub of Global Wealth
There are exactly 1,000 billionaires living in the United States. Their number has increased by 130 over the past year.
Despite losing the top spot, the U.S. remains one of the most powerful centers of capital accumulation. The country accounts for nearly a quarter of all the world’s billionaires.
The main sources of American wealth remain:
- the technology sector;
- financial services;
- investments;
- e-commerce;
- media and entertainment;
- artificial intelligence;
- the space industry.
The United States is home to the majority of the world’s wealthiest people. The top ten on the Hurun ranking include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Larry Ellison, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Jensen Huang, and Steve Ballmer.
The only non-U.S. representative in the global top ten is French businessman Bernard Arnault.
China and the U.S. account for more than half of the billionaires
China and the U.S. are home to 2,110 billionaires out of a total of 4,020.
This represents approximately 52.5% of all dollar billionaires worldwide. This concentration demonstrates the dominance of the two largest economies in the creation of massive private wealth.
The gap between them and other countries remains enormous. India, which ranked third, has one-third as many billionaires as the U.S.
India ranked third
India is home to 308 billionaires. Their number has increased by 24 over the past year.
The growth of the ultra-wealthy class is attributed to the expansion of the domestic consumer market and the development of the technology sector, industry, financial services, and infrastructure.
More than 80% of Indian billionaires were not on the list ten years ago. This indicates the rapid emergence of a new group of entrepreneurs and owners of large companies.
In addition, about 50 billionaires of Indian origin live abroad, primarily in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Germany Has Become the Leader in Europe
Germany ranked fourth in the world and first among European countries. It is home to 171 billionaires.
Over the past year, the country added 30 new entrants to the ranking and surpassed the United Kingdom.
Wealth in Germany is traditionally linked to industry, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, and family businesses.
The United Kingdom dropped to fifth place
There are 150 billionaires living in the United Kingdom. The country remains one of the world’s leading financial centers, although it has fallen behind Germany.
London continues to attract wealthy entrepreneurs, investors, and owners of international companies.
Some British billionaires were born in other countries. According to Hurun, the United Kingdom ranks second only to the United States in terms of the number of billionaire immigrants.
Switzerland stands out for its concentration of wealth
Switzerland ranked sixth with 114 billionaires.
This is a particularly high figure given the country’s relatively small population. Switzerland remains one of the world’s leading centers for private banking, asset management, pharmaceuticals, and international business.
The country also attracts wealthy foreigners with its stable economy, tax conditions, and high quality of life.
Russia remains among the countries with the highest number of billionaires
According to the ranking, there are 105 billionaires living in Russia.
Despite international sanctions and the war against Ukraine, the country remains among the world leaders in terms of the number of ultra-wealthy individuals.
Most Russian wealth is traditionally tied to the extraction and sale of natural resources, metallurgy, energy, and large industrial assets.
The European Union has nearly 500 billionaires
In total, there are 495 billionaires living in European Union countries.
The largest numbers are found in:
- Germany — 171;
- Italy — 73;
- France — 71;
- Sweden — 35;
- Spain — 34.
Which countries have the most billionaires?
The top ten countries by number of billionaires are as follows:
- China — 1,110;
- United States — 1,000;
- India — 308;
- Germany — 171;
- United Kingdom — 150;
- Switzerland — 114;
- Russia — 105;
- Canada — 75;
- Italy — 73;
- France — 71.
Countries’ rankings may vary slightly depending on the methodology of a specific ranking, the date of asset valuation, and the place of residence of businesspeople.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
New York Remains the City of Billionaires
Although China topped the country rankings, New York remains the world’s billionaire capital among cities.
It is home to 146 billionaires. Shenzhen, China, took second place with 132 billionaires, while Beijing came in third.
The number of billionaires has also grown significantly in Shanghai, San Francisco, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Hong Kong, and Moscow.
Who Is the Richest Person in the World?
Elon Musk took first place on the 2026 Hurun Global Rich List.
His fortune is estimated at $792 billion. Over the past year, it has grown by 89%, or $372 billion.
SpaceX and Tesla remain the main sources of his wealth.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took second place with a fortune of $300 billion. Google co-founder Larry Page rose to third place with $271 billion.
Artificial intelligence is creating new billionaires
Artificial intelligence has become one of the main sources of new mega-fortunes.
The ranking includes 114 billionaires associated with companies in the AI sector. Of these, 46 made the list for the first time.
Significant wealth is being generated around the production of processors, computing infrastructure, data centers, software platforms, and robotics.
At the same time, financial services remain the primary source of wealth for the entire list, accounting for about 11% of the billionaires.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
