Global Wealth Surges in 2025 with Nearly One Million New Millionaires, Israel Sees Mixed Rankings

The 2026 Global Wealth Report by banking giant UBS reveals a record-breaking surge in global wealth during 2025, with nearly one million new millionaires emerging worldwide. This unprecedented growth equates to about 2,680 new millionaires daily. The United States led this expansion, adding over 440,000 new millionaires, maintaining its status as the global financial powerhouse. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also showed significant increases, with 183,000 and 348,000 millionaires respectively.

Switzerland remains the wealthiest country on average per adult, with $910,382, followed by the United States at $696,277 and Luxembourg at $654,732. South Korea recorded the highest real growth in average wealth since 2020, rising over 55%. Notably, more than half of the world's personal wealth is concentrated in just two countries: the United States and China.

Israel experienced a slight drop in its global ranking for average wealth per adult, moving from 17th to 18th place with $312,108. However, its median wealth ranking improved from 25th to 24th, reaching $83,843 per adult. The country is home to approximately 195,000 millionaires, with 8,803 new millionaires added in 2025 alone, marking a 4.7% increase. Millionaires now constitute about 3.2% of Israel's adult population. Uniquely, 82.1% of Israeli personal wealth is held in investable financial assets, the second highest globally after Sweden, with debt levels at 14.4% of total wealth.

Despite the wealth boom, disparities persist. Nobel laureate Professor Yoel Mokir highlights that while average global wealth soared, median wealth declined in most countries, underscoring widening inequality. Europe and the Middle East saw the strongest wealth growth at nearly 18%, whereas Asia-Pacific lagged. Mokir emphasizes that long-term prosperity depends on human capital and technological skills rather than physical capital. He points to three upcoming technological revolutions: commercial nuclear fusion, mRNA technology, and regenerative technologies that could significantly extend human lifespan, all poised to reshape the global economy and society.

Mokir concludes that although rapid progress entails social costs, the benefits far outweigh them, as evidenced by the unprecedented quality of life today compared to any previous era in human history.