FRANKFURT, Dec 4 (Bernama-dpa) — The world’s billionaires owned a record US$15.8 trillion in 2025, up 13 per cent from last year, Swiss bank UBS stated on Thursday, citing investment in new technologies and “the largest, multi-generational inheritance wave” ever recorded by the lender, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
According to UBS, which released its 11th Billionaire Ambitions Report, the number of billionaires has risen globally to 2,919, up from 2,682 in 2024.
Among them, 2,545 are men and only 374 are women, the bank found.
The US is home to the largest number of billionaires globally, with 924 individuals owning a total of some US$6.9 trillion, followed by 470 billionaires in China worth a total of some US$1.8 trillion.
In Germany, the “most prosperous geography” in Western Europe, the number of billionaires rose by 33 per cent to 156.
Collectively, they own US$692.1 billion, an increase of US$145.9 billion from 2024.
According to UBS, Germany is a leader in several industrial sectors – from pharmaceuticals and mechanical engineering to consumer goods – and offers a broad foundation for entrepreneurial success.
The bank also noted a strong tradition of wealth transfer in the country, with 15 members of two German pharmaceutical families inheriting considerable sums in 2025.
UBS believes that the number of billionaires is set to rise further in the coming decades as wealth transfer accelerates.
The bank, which takes into account cash, securities, company holdings, real estate and other tangible assets in its report, estimates that the world’s billionaires will transfer some US$6.9 trillion by 2040, “with at least US$5.9 trillion set to be passed to children – either directly or indirectly through spouses”.
— BERNAMA-dpa