Economy

World’s Billionaire Population Surges to New Record High: UBS

Wealth appreciation and inheritance were the key themes in the Swiss bank’s study.
World’s Billionaire Population Surges to New Record High: UBS
A megayacht, built by Dutch yacht builder Royal Van Lent for former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, is piloted past a bridge in Woubrugge, Netherlands, on May 28, 2025. Josh Walet/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Andrew Moran
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The ultra-rich grew even wealthier this year and the world has more billionaires than ever, according to Swiss bank UBS.

Global billionaire wealth hit a record $15.8 trillion in 2025, up by 13 percent from 2024, UBS said in its 11th Billionaire Ambitions Report, published on Dec. 4. This is the second-largest annual increase, after 2021, “lifted by existing tech billionaires’ appreciating wealth and the number of new billionaires across a range of sectors,” the report reads.
Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran
Author
Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of "The War on Cash."