Countries with the most billionaires
Number of resident billionaires by citizenship. The US has held first place every year since the list began; China overtook second-place Germany in 2014.
Headline finding
United States leads the world for countries with the most billionaires at 813 USD billionaires.
The full top 25: Countries with the most billionaires
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 United States 813
- 2 China 473
- 3 India 200
- 4 Germany 132
- 5 Russia 120
- 6 Italy 73
- 7 Hong Kong 67
- 8 Canada 67
- 9 United Kingdom 55
- 10 Brazil 51
- 11 Australia 47
- 12 France 43
- 13 Taiwan 51
- 14 Singapore 41
- 15 Switzerland 41
- 16 Japan 41
- 17 South Korea 41
- 18 Sweden 43
- 19 Spain 30
- 20 Mexico 22
- 21 Turkey 25
- 22 UAE 17
- 23 Thailand 26
- 24 Indonesia 25
- 25 Israel 30
What the numbers show
United States's lead at the top of this ranking is 71.9% above the second-place country — a margin so wide it suggests we're looking at a structural advantage rather than a close-run race.
The five countries leading the table — United States, China, India, Germany, Russia — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Israel anchoring the list at 30.
Figures are drawn from Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- USD billionaires
- Source
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for countries with the most billionaires?
United States leads with 813 USD billionaires. China is second at 473, with India in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the countries with the most billionaires ranking?
The figures come from Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the countries with the most billionaires figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.