Wealth

The ultra-wealthy just gained $49 trillion in wealth thanks to stocks

Products You May Like

People walk by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 18, 2024 in New York City. 
Spencer Platt | Getty Images

The global population of people worth $30 million or more increased 8% in 2023, with much of the growth coming from the U.S., according to a new report.

There are now 426,330 individuals worth $30 million or more, known as ultra-high-net worth (UHNW) individuals, according to Altrata’s World Ultra Wealth Report 2024. Their total wealth surged by 7% to $49 trillion in 2023, helped mainly by the year-end stock rally.

In the U.S., the ultra-high-net-worth population increased 13%, to 147,950, meaning the U.S. now accounts for a third of the world’s ultra-high-net worth population. 

Get Inside Wealth directly to your inbox

The Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank is your weekly guide to high-net-worth investors and the industries that serve them.

Subscribe here to get access today.

Over the next five years, the UHNW population is expected to grow by 38% to 587,650, according to the report. Their combined fortunes will rise by $19 trillion — creating a massive new opportunity for companies that cater to the ultra-wealthy, according to the report.

“The market for personal luxury goods and lifestyle services has expanded rapidly, driven by the more varied interests and demands of a progressively diverse global UHNW population,” the report said. “There has been a similar trend across high-end real estate around the world, alongside an increasing focus on family wealth transfer planning and legacy transition amid a surge in first-generation wealth.”

The ultra-wealthy accounted for $118 billion in luxury spending in 2023, or about a third of the global luxury spending, according to the report. They have $38 trillion in investable assets (also about a third of the total) and account for $190 billion in charitable giving, representing 38% of all philanthropy.

New York has the world’s largest population of people worth $30 million or more, with 16,630. Hong Kong ranked second, with 12,546, followed by Los Angeles with 8,955 and Tokyo with 6,445.

The report said expected interest rate cuts and emerging growth industries are likely to continue to power UHNW wealth creation this year and next.

“There will be new and varied opportunities for wealth generation and asset diversification,” the report said. “These will be underpinned by structural trends such as the green-energy transition, advances in digitalization, expanded industrial incentives, rising urbanization and female labor participation in emerging markets, the ‘premiumization’ of consumption, and broadening adoption of generative AI.'”

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Hedge funds performed better under Democratic presidents than Republican ones, history shows
You can work at McDonald’s and still become a millionaire, a financial psychologist says
Homebuilder deal activity is surging, fueled by major Japanese buyers
Here’s why tax-loss harvesting can be easier with exchange-traded funds
Ondersteun mkb bij versterken productiviteit en verdienvermogen