- Fifteen countries account for 75% of the world's billionaire population and 79% of the world's billionaire wealth, according to Wealth-X's 2019 Billionaire Census report.
- The US dominates, with 705 billionaires who have a collective wealth of more than $3 trillion.
- All the top Asia-Pacific countries saw a decrease in billionaire population while major European countries saw variations in billionaire growth.
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Fifteen countries dominate in billionaire population and wealth, according to Wealth-X's 2019 Billionaire Census report. The report analyzed data from Wealth-X's global database of more than one million records of the world's richest people.
Three-fourths of the world's billionaire population lives in the 15 countries listed below. Collectively, the 1,942 billionaires in these countries are worth $6.8 trillion — that accounts for 79% of total global billionaire wealth in 2018.
When it comes to billionaire population, the United States dominates with 27% of the world's billionaires. Its total billionaire count rose from 2017 to 2018 by 4% to 705 billionaires. Meanwhile, total billionaire wealth worldwide decreased by 5% to slightly more than $3 trillion.
All the top Asia-Pacific countries — China, Hong Kong, India, and Singapore — saw a decrease in billionaires and billionaire wealth due to a decline in equity markets, according to the report. Meanwhile, major European countries saw both decreases and increases in billionaires, depending on economic factors.
Note that Hong Kong and Singapore also made Wealth-X's list of the top 15 cities with the most billionaires — Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous, special administrative region of China, and Singapore is an island city-state off southern Malaysia.
Take a look at which countries worldwide have the most billionaires, ranked in ascending order.
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15. Singapore saw a drop in billionaires because of negative equity market performance.
Number of billionaires: 39
Total billionaire wealth: $84 billion
Singapore is one of the richest cities in the world: The total private wealth of its residents amounts to $1 trillion, reported Business Insider's Katie Warren. It's also one of the most expensive cities to live in worldwide.
14. Canada's wealthy are getting richer faster than the rest of the population.
Number of billionaires: 45
Total billionaire wealth: $87 billion
Ricardo Tranjan, senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), told CBC that "the rich are really sprinting ahead" of average Canadians. According to a CCPA report, the richest families are worth $3 billion on average and own as much wealth as three Canadian provinces combined.
13. Italy saw a decrease in billionaire population due to political instability.
Number of billionaires: 47
Total billionaire wealth: $141 billion
In addition to housing nearly 50 billionaires, Italy is home to many destinations frequented by the super rich, including the Amalfi coast, Portofino, Positano, Capri, Cinque Terre, Milan, and Venice.
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