The total number of dollar millionaires in the world has risen by 1.1 million to 46.8 million. Together, they own $158.3 trillion, or 44% of the world’s assets.
The rise was driven by strong growth in the United States, where 675,000 reached millionaire status last year. There are an estimated 18.6 million millionaires in the US, with China in second place with 4.5 million. Japan saw an increase of 187,000 to reach 3 million, while Australia, Britain and Turkey suffered the largest falls.
These totals do not necessarily suggest growing inequality, however. The top 1% of the world’s population owns 45% of global wealth, down from 47% in 2000. This is explained by the growth of the global middle class.
That said, the world’s poorest continue to suffer, as the bottom half of the global population controls less than 1% of the world’s wealth, and the bottom 90% of the world’s adults account for only 18%.
