Global Wealth Reaches Record High of $98 Trillion Amid AI-Driven Economic Boom

Global Wealth Reaches Record $98.3 Trillion in 2025, Led by Stock Rallies and AI Optimism

Global wealth belonging to high-net worth individuals swelled to a record $98.3 trillion in 2025, according to a report from Capgemini, a French IT and consulting firm. This represents a nearly 9% increase in wealth held by people whose investable assets total $1 million or more.

The growth in global wealth is comparable to the lion's share of worldwide GDP, which reached $111 trillion in 2024, according to the World Bank. This staggering sum of money presents a significant opportunity for investment and wealth creation.

Stock rallies driven by optimism over artificial intelligence were the primary engine of wealth generation, according to the report, helping boost the number of millionaires globally by almost 2 million to a record 25.3 million. This surge in wealth creation is expected to continue in 2026, with SpaceX's upcoming initial public offering poised to mint new millionaires and billionaires, and make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.

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The US created the most millionaires compared with other countries in 2025, according to Capgemini's report, adding 736,000 for a total of 8.7 million. Wealth among high-net-worth individuals grew 10% from a year earlier.

The Asia Pacific region took the biggest leap in wealth generation on a regional basis, with wealth surging 10.5% in that zone. This growth was driven by skyrocketing demand for semiconductors, which boosted Asian markets. Japan and China led the growth, minting 436,000 and 154,000 millionaires, respectively.

In contrast, the Middle East saw a contraction of 1.4% in the number of high-net-worth individuals, partly due to lower oil prices and regional conflicts. Europe's high-net-worth population increased 6.5% in 2025, reversing a prior decline. The gains are attributed to easing inflation and stabilizing equity markets.

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Equity holdings accounted for a quarter of high-net-worth individuals' portfolios across the globe as of January 2026, an increase from the year before. The share of their wealth allocated in alternative investments, including commodities, cryptocurrency, hedge funds, and private equity, declined as public equities relatively outperformed.

However, two in three wealthy investors said they plan to increase their exposure to private equity, according to the report. At least $1.5 trillion in new assets didn't go to traditional firms from 2022 to 2025, according to the report, instead flowing to their less traditional competitors, such as family offices and brokerages like Robinhood.

As wealth grew, so did income inequality, intensifying the so-called K-shaped economy. The top 1% of US households owned nearly 32% of all US wealth in the fourth quarter of 2025, per Federal Reserve data. This is the highest share on record since the Fed started tracking the data in 1989.

The Capgemini World Wealth Report includes survey data from wealth managers and more than 6,500 high-net-worth individuals across the globe.