New World Wealth release their latest data on which countries are the world’s wealthiest
W20 Wealth Rankings
The following tables ranks the top 20 countries in the world by “total individual wealth” held. “Total individual wealth” refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals in each country.
It includes all their net assets (wealth), including all property, cash, equities and business interests.
W20 Per Capita Rankings
The following table ranks W20 countries by average wealth per person (otherwise known as per capita wealth).
As reflected, certain countries such as India and Indonesia, only make the W20 due to their large populations. On a per capita basis, they are quite poor.
It comes as no surprise that the UK ranks ahead of Sweden and well ahead of Germany on this measure. This is predominantly down to the high value of real estate in the UK. Also in Germany, many people do not own their homes and rent instead – this negatively impacts on their total net assets (wealth).
W20 Growth Rankings
The following table ranks W20 countries by wealth growth since 2000.
Australia’s growth during this period is particularly impressive. In 2000, Australia ranked behind the likes of the UK and USA on a wealth per capita basis. However, now it ranks well above these countries.
Despite recent economic troubles, growth rates in France, Spain and Italy are surprisingly high. This is mainly due to particularly strong growth during the 2000 to 2007 period. Growth in these countries since 2007 has been poor.
Global Wealth Per Capita Rankings
Of course, there are several wealthy countries (on a wealth per capita basis) that do not make the W20 due to their low populations. The following table ranks all known countries by wealth per capita.
Focus on Africa
The following table ranks major African countries by wealth per capita.
On a wealth per capita basis, the fastest growing countries in Africa during the past 15 years (2000 – 2015) were Angola and Ghana.
Zimbabwe was the only African country to experience a decline in per capita wealth during this period.
Focus on the Middle-East
The following table ranks major Middle Eastern countries by wealth per capita.
On a wealth per capita basis, the fastest growing country in the Middle East during the past 15 years was Qatar.
About New World Wealth
New World Wealth provides information on the global wealth sector, with a special focus on high growth markets. Theye provide customized services to: luxury goods companies, private banks, wealthy individuals (HNWIs), family offices, real estate professionals and fund managers. Their research leverages off an in-house HNWI database, which comprises dossiers on over 150,000 HNWIs from around the world.
New World Wealth is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.