While such metrics are not all encompassing, these measurements of private wealth do help put the financial health and economic activity of some of the world’s wealthiest cities in perspective. This infographic uses information from the Henley Global Citizens Report, in partnership with New World Wealth, to rank the world’s wealthiest cities. It leverages a comprehensive data set that tracks the movements and spending habits of high-net-worth individuals in over 150 cities around the world. Which cities and regions have the biggest concentrations of millionaires around the world, each with a net worth greater than $1 million (USD)?
Millionaires and Billionaires in the Wealthiest Cities
In the latest edition of the ranking, North America has a strong showing with seven of the wealthiest cities, by number of millionaires. In particular, the United States claims five of the cities in the top 10, including the very top spot with New York City. Asia is the region with the second most millionaires with six cities in the mix. Not surprisingly, China is home to three of these cities, including Hong Kong (SAR). Europe comes in third with five cities, though only London makes into the top 10 portion of the ranking. Finally, Oceania has two cities on the list, both located in Australia.
How Top Cities Stack Up
Let’s take a closer look at some of the top-ranking cities making the list.
#1: New York
New York is the wealthiest city in the world—home to 345,600 millionaires with a total private wealth that exceeds $3 trillion. New York is home to many Fortune 500 companies and is the financial heart of the United States, with the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ located in the Big Apple. Additionally, the city’s real estate market is known for being expensive, with sky-high property values and rents.
#2: Tokyo
Tokyo is the economic hub of Japan and is one of the most important cities in the world for business and finance. It is home to 304,900 resident millionaires, making it the city with the second most millionaires in the world. Japan’s largest city is home to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which is one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia by market capitalization. Tokyo is also a major center for banking and insurance, and is home to many multinational companies like Honda and Sony.
#3: San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area boasts 276,400 millionaires. It’s known as the mecca of tech innovation, and as a result, the region has a high concentration of wealthy individuals. San Francisco also has the highest median household income in the country. The number of millionaires has been growing steadily over the last 10 years, and if the trends of recent years hold, San Francisco could become the number one millionaire hub by 2040.
#4: London
London has been the world’s wealthiest city for years, but over the past decade there has been an outflow of millionaires. Today, with 272,400 millionaires, the city holds a more humble position. London is known for its financial and business sectors, and it attracts a significant number of high-earning professionals who contribute to its reputation as a hub of wealth and luxury.
#5: Singapore
Singapore is home to 249,800 millionaires making it the second richest city in Asia after Tokyo. Singapore has one of the highest densities of millionaire households in Asia, with over 5% of households having at least $1 million USD in net financial assets. This is due in part to the country’s strong economic growth and favorable business environment, which has attracted many wealthy individuals and families to the country. In addition, Singapore’s political stability, low crime rate, and high standard of living have also contributed to its appeal as a place to live and work.
Fastest Growing Cities for the Rich
The cities shown in our visualization are already well-established locations for high-net-worth individuals. Some of them have topped the rankings for decades, while some others are less well-known. But what are the fastest growing cities for the rich? In 2022, cities with strong oil and gas industries like Riyadh, Sharjah, Dubai, Luanda, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Lagos grew exceptionally. Cities in the UAE became millionaire magnets, attracting over 4,000 millionaires in 2022. In the U.S., a few tax-friendly states like Texas and Florida became home to American companies moving their head offices there. Looking to the future, companies and high-net-worth individuals will inevitably move where they are treated best. Countries that want to attract wealthy individuals will have to apply tax-friendly policies along with other factors such as quality of life, safety, education, and access to amenities that ultra-wealthy residents value. on A lagging stock market dented these fortunes against high interest rates, energy shocks, and economic uncertainty. But some of the world’s billionaires have flourished in this environment, posting sky-high revenues in spite of inflationary pressures. With data from Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, we feature a snapshot of the richest people in the world in 2023.
Luxury Mogul Takes Top Spot
The world’s richest person is France’s Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH.
With 75 brands, the luxury conglomerate owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany. LVMH traces back to 1985, when Arnault cut his first major deal with the company by acquiring Christian Dior, a firm that was struggling with bankruptcy.
Fast-forward to today, and the company is seeing record profits despite challenging market conditions. Louis Vuitton, for instance, has doubled its sales in four years.
In the table below, we show the world’s 10 richest people with data as of February 27, 2023:
Elon Musk, the second-wealthiest person in the world has a net worth of $191 billion. In October, Musk took over Twitter in a $44 billion dollar deal, which has drawn criticism from investors. Many say it’s a distraction from Musk’s work with Tesla.
While Tesla shares have rebounded—after falling roughly 70% in 2022—Musk’s wealth still sits about 13% lower than in March of last year.
Third on the list is Jeff Bezos, followed by Larry Ellison. The latter of the two, who founded Oracle, owns 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai which he bought in 2012 for $300 million.
Fifth on the list is Warren Buffett. In his annual letter to shareholders, he discussed how Berkshire Hathaway reported record operating profits despite economic headwinds. The company outperformed the S&P 500 Index by about 22% in 2022.
How Fortunes Have Changed
Given multiple economic crosscurrents, billionaire wealth has diverged over the last year. Since March 2022, just four of the top 10 richest in the world have seen their wealth increase. Two of these are European magnates, while Carlos Slim Helu runs the largest telecom firm in Latin America. In fact, a decade ago Slim was the richest person on the planet. Overall, as the tech sector saw dismal returns over the year, the top 10 tech billionaires lost almost $500 billion in combined wealth.
Recent Shakeups in Asia
Perhaps the most striking news for the world’s richest centers around Gautam Adani, formerly the richest person in Asia. In January, Hindenburg Research, a short-selling firm, released a report claiming that the Adani Group engaged in stock manipulation and fraud. Specifically, the alleged the firm used offshore accounts to launder money, artificially boost share prices, and hide losses. The Adani Group, which owns India’s largest ports—along with ports in Australia, Sri Lanka, and Israel—lost $100 billion in value in the span of a few weeks. Interestingly, very few Indian mutual funds hold significant shares in Adani Group, signaling a lack of confidence across India’s market, which was also cited in Hindenburg’s report. As a result, Mukesh Ambani has climbed to Asia’s top spot, controlling a $84 billion empire that spans from oil and gas and renewable energy to telecom. His conglomerate, Reliance Industries is the largest company by market cap in India.
