Number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals surges 14% to 557,000 worldwide

The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide is surging, with analysts linking the trend to the rapid expansion of the AI industry.

Wealth data firm Altrata estimated in a report released Sunday (local time) that the number of people globally with a net worth of at least $30 million rose 14.4 percent over the past year to 556,850 as of the end of last year — the largest increase since 2017.

Maya Imberg, Altrata's senior director, said the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals has consistently grown over the past decade and that the pace has accelerated. She attributed the increase to low inflation, strong corporate earnings and a wave of AI investment.

Those with a net worth exceeding $100 million grew at an even faster rate, the report found, with many building their fortunes by founding or investing in fast-growing technology companies.

The World Inequality Report 2026 also documented the trend. According to the report, the assets of the world's top billionaires grew at an average annual rate of about 8.5 percent from 1995 to 2025, while the bottom 50 percent of the global population saw their assets grow by just 3.4 percent per year over the same period.

The report estimated the average net worth of the 60,000 individuals who make up the top 0.001 percent globally at $254 million. The United States is home to the largest share of this group at 37 percent, followed by China at 10 percent and Germany at 5 percent.

"The population that could fit in a single football stadium owns three times more wealth than the combined assets of the bottom 4 billion people in the world," report co-author Ricardo Gomez-Carrera said.

Twenty-six CEOs in the United States received compensation packages exceeding $100 million in 2025, more than double the 12 who did so the previous year and the highest figure since 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported. Of those, 11 received more than $200 million.

Elon Musk stood out by far. The Tesla CEO, already considered the world's wealthiest person, received a compensation package valued at $158 billion — a record in the field and roughly 16 times more than the combined packages of the other 391 executives on the list.

Four executives at Welltower, a major US senior housing and care company, collectively received $1.3 billion in compensation, the Journal reported. CEO Shankh Mitra ranked second overall at $821 million, behind only Musk. Chief Financial Officer Tim McHugh also set a record for the highest compensation package ever received by a CFO in US corporate history, at $167 million.