Millionaires on the rise: global wealth skyrockets while inequality deepens

Their wallets overflow, their yachts outsize our economic hopes, and their AI investments seem more profitable than our retirement plans. The rich have never been richer or more numerous.

According to Capgemini’s World Wealth Report 2025, there are now 23.4 million individuals with over $1 million in financial assets, a 2.6% increase from last year. Collectively, their wealth has reached an astonishing $90.5 trillion, up 4.2% year-on-year.

The United States leads this golden pack with 7.9 million millionaires, adding 562,000 new members in just one year. Japan and Germany follow, while Europe overall experiences a slight decline, with France losing 21,000 millionaires due to economic stagnation. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region continues to expand unevenly, with notable gains in Japan and India.

Stock markets have soared, particularly in tech sectors fueled by artificial intelligence, providing an extraordinary boost to the wealthiest. Investments in equities, real estate, and alternative assets have allowed this elite group to expand their fortunes even amid global economic uncertainty, demonstrating that financial crises do not affect all social strata equally.

Photo: Capgemini’s World Wealth Report 2025

Lebanon in focus

Even in countries facing economic turmoil, the ultra-wealthy remain insulated. Lebanon, amid a severe economic and financial crisis, exemplifies this paradox. While the majority of the population struggles to cover basic needs, an estimated 56,000 millionaires around 0.1% of the adult population still exist. The richest 1% capture roughly 25% of national income, positioning Lebanon among the world’s most unequal nations. According to Forbes 2025, six Lebanese individuals alone hold a combined fortune of $12.3 billion. Remarkably, some millionaires have seen their wealth grow despite the collapse of the Lebanese pound, highlighting the resilience of capital at the top of the pyramid.

The persistence of wealth in Lebanon illustrates how economic instability disproportionately affects the wider population while high-net-worth individuals exploit financial strategies, foreign assets, and investment opportunities to protect and even increase their fortunes.

The ultra-rich: A power minority

Globally, ultra-rich individuals those with over $30 million represent only 1% of all millionaires but control 34% of total wealth. This concentration of wealth exacerbates inequality, creating an elite whose financial influence far surpasses their numerical representation. Over the next two decades, inheritance and wealth transfers are projected to reach $83.5 trillion, raising pressing questions about intergenerational equity and economic opportunity for the wider population.

While 23.4 million people enjoy unparalleled prosperity, the majority of the global population faces stagnant wages, inflation, and economic uncertainty. In Lebanon, structural reforms remain absent, corruption persists, and millions are pushed into poverty. Meanwhile, the ultra-rich continue to expand their influence and financial security, highlighting the stark divide between wealth and everyday living conditions.

So, if you thought the rich would come back down to Earth, think again they’re already in orbit, first-class seats secured, while the rest wait at the gate without a ticket. The global wealth divide is not just a number; it is a lived reality, a mirror reflecting the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots, both at home and abroad.