How Many Millionaires are There in the World?
The word millionaire is generally used to describe a rich person. When we speak of a millionaire, we think about mansions, limousines and yachts. But what is the most accurate definition of a millionaire? The most recognized definition of a millionaire is a person who has financial assets of at least US$ 1 million, excluding the home value. Despite of the images that we associate with this word, the amount of US$1 million nowadays is no longer what it used to be some decades ago. Many people who have this amount today live without luxuries and do not feel rich. However, this amount is used as a measure to differentiate privileged people, who are known as HNWI (High Net Worth Individuals).
How many millionaires, or HNWIs are there in the world? According to the research made by CapGemini and Merryl Lynch published in the World Wealth Report 2006, there are about 2,669,000 millionaires in the United States , or about 0.9% of the population. In the whole world there are 8.7 million millionaires, or about 0.13% of the world-wide population. The total number of millionaires in the world grew 6.5% in 2005. They possess a total of US$33.3 trillions in financial assets. The majority of the millionaires are in North America (United States and Canada).
The table below shows the distribution of millionaires in the main regions of the world:
- North America – 2.9 million
- Europe – 2.8 million
- Asia-Pacific – 2.4 million
- Latin America – 0.3 million
- Middle East – 0.3 million
- Africa – 0.1 million
There is another level of extreme millionaires. These are the people who possess more than US$30 million in financial assets. These people are trully rich, and have the financial power to live in mansions, and to buy yatches. There are a total of 85,400 people in the world who fall in this level of wealth, and almost half are in North America. Although this level of wealth is practically unreacheable for the great majority of people, the goal of becoming a millionaire, or to be a HNWI, is completely viable for most people. If you have this objective you may be curious to know where the wealth of these millionaires comes from.
Here is a comparison of the origin of the wealth of the millionaires around the world:
- Business / business sales – 37%
- Wage income – 24%
- Inheritances – 18%
- Investments – 10%
- Restricted stocks/stock options – 9%
- Other – 2%
An interesting fact about the origin of wealth of millionaires is that there are significant regional differrences. For example, in Europe and Latin America the biggest portion of the wealth of millionaires (about half) is from business or business sales. However, in the Middle East, the biggest percentage of the wealth (36%) is from inheritances, and in the United States the biggest portion (32%) is from wage income.
If you want to increase your chances of becoming a millionaire, here are some interesting statistics:
- 61% of millionaires are more than 56 years old, although only 15% of the world-wide population belong to this age bracket
- 84% of millionaires are married
- 83% of millionaires have children
The great majority of the world-wide population (99.87%) does not belong to this exclusive club of millionaires. However, the chances of you becoming a millionaire increase substantially when you live in a rich country, such as in the United States. As we saw here, most American millionaires built their fortune with wage income. You do not even need to have a business to become a millionaire in the United States! Even if you are just an employee, you too can get there. (see the article “How to Become a Millionaire”).
For a more recent update see the article “More Than 10 Million Millionaires in the World“.
Looks like a interesting book will definitely check it out. Thanks for the article. 
I worked in a corporation for a couple of years in a comfortable, tedious office job. I left and joined ...
Great article. If you can believe it then you can achieve it but action is key. Thank you! 
Elmo,
Regarding the first question, be very crisp in your communication. Provide executive summaries to the Sr. Management team. ...
Thank you for such an insightful article! 22 traits that you have mentioned are definitely essential for someone who plans ...
Dear Sir,
How come to be a millionair if you don't help yourself? how come for unlucky people who try ...
I think this is among the most important information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want ...
Comment by Jesús Augusto Feliciani on 2007-07-03:
quiero saber sobre estadisticas no comentarios ¿como hago?
Comment by naisioxerloro on 2007-11-28:
Hi.
Good design, who make it?
Comment by reirobertocarlosf@bol.com.br on 2008-02-18:
O mundo é de todos a riqueza dividida não deixaria niguem pobre o que precisa é virar essa piramide social ao contrario me derrubar a riqueza para baixo ai sim construir uma nova piramide mais solida baseada em novos valores mais solidos com menos discriminação o povo é riqueza eles ainda não tem tudo…
Comment by farhad on 2008-05-26:
In the top 2.6% of sucessfull Americans.
Comment by werutzb on 2008-10-07:
Hi!
I want to improve my SQL capabilities.
I red really many SQL books and want to
get more about SQL for my work as db2 database manager.
What can you recommend?
Thanks,
Werutz
Comment by promotional mugs on 2008-12-04:
Why should I think to be a millionaire as I do not have any company, how so ever small? Article provides some knowledge about unequal distribution of wealth and assets and is useful to high ranking business entities.
Comment by Wagner on 2008-12-29:
Bem,para chegar ao primeiro milhão e necessário um plano de ação e grandes risco começando do zero,mas a maioria da pessoas desistem,outras nem tentam,e 80% morrem na miséria.
Comment by jaime on 2009-03-11:
considero que ser millonario no esta en lo que tengas sino en cuanto te puede durar tu riqueza
Comment by aloise jr on 2009-04-14:
milhonario nao é so de riquesa é tb do coraçao
Comment by charlis linarez pimentel on 2009-04-14:
yo creo ke las personas multimillonaria deberian hacer aportaciones para las intiutcione encargada de brinda apoyo alas personas pobres
Comment by jose carbo on 2009-06-03:
soy muy pobre ahora perdi mi trabajo tengo la custodia de mi hija que tiene 9 anos como puedo combenser a un millonario que me regale algun dinero para poder salir adelante estoy desesperado y no se gue aser
Comment by Luis Lorenzo on 2009-07-28:
Jose Carbo, la solución no está en convencer a un millonario para que te regale algún dinero para salir adelante, porque entonces tendrían que estar regalándote dinero toda la vida. La clave es que no te den el pescado, sino que te enseñen a pescar, no se si entiendes la analogía.
Primero quiero preguntarte, en qué país estás viviendo? Yo estoy viviendo en Caracas, Venezuela, pero tengo negocio en varios paises de latinoamerica, y estoy buscando personas en varios paises para trabajar conmigo, podemos cuadrar.
Soy ingeniero y tengo un negocio con el que estoy consiguiendo libertad financiera, para dejar de preocuparme por el dinero. Y la buena noticia es que estoy buscando personas que quieran ganarse entre 1500$ y 2000$ sin dejar su trabajo actual. Te puedo comentar que tengo varias personas trabajando conmigo que comenzaron con muchas deudas, algunos sin trabajo, otros saliendo de zonas muy humildes, pero con GANAS de trabajar, prosperar y surgir, y hoy en día son personas que tienen libertad de tiempo, y están superando los 2000$ mensuales.
Si te interesa escuchar, podemos conversar Jose, mi correo es luislorenzo05@gmail.com.
Si estás desesperado y no sabes qué hacer, yo puedo ayudarte, porque puedo enseñarte a generar ingresos superiores a los 2000$ mensuales.
En mi caso, como ingeniero de telecomunicaciones estaría ganando 1000$, y con mi negocio propio estoy superando los 4000$ mensuales.
Saludos,
Luis Lorenzo
0058-416.612.08.08
Pingback by Worldwide Success » Make the First Million and the Rest is Easy on 2009-08-09:
[...] How Many Millionaires are There in the World? [...]
Pingback by Worldwide Success » How to Become a Millionaire on 2009-08-09:
[...] Would you like to have a million dollars? For some people this quantity may seem unreachable. However, if you live in a rich country, like the United States, even if you only have an average income, you can reach the goal of becoming a millionaire. The quantity of one million dollars nowadays is not what it used to be anymore. For people that live in some of the largest cities in the world, like New York in the US, London in England, or Tokyo in Japan, this quantity is only enough to buy a house or condo without any luxury. However, this quantity is still used as a measurement to distinguish the privileged people, who are known as HNWI (High Net Worth Individuals). For more information on this subject, see the article “How Many Millionaires are there in the World?” [...]
Pingback by Worldwide Success » How Much are You Worth? on 2009-08-09:
[...] and can compare it to the financial situation of the general population. (see the article “How Many Millionaires are there in the World”) More importantly, you can now establish goals that will lead you to financial success. [...]
Pingback by Crónicas Digitales»Archivo del blog » La riqueza es un escándalo on 2009-08-09:
[...] Pregunta sencilla. ¿Cuántos millonarios existen en el mundo? Individuos de Alto Valor Neto. La definición más reconocida de un millonario es una persona que [...]
Comment by Caio on 2010-02-12:
Olá, sou brasileiro e quero me tornar um milionário com certeza, mas não me preocupo em ser um milionário em dólares, se puder ter um milhão de reais já está ótimo. Talvez até uma quantia menor seja suficiente como 500 mil reais. Isto numa poupança daria algo em torno de 2500 reais por mês, o que é muito mais do que metade da população ganha. Se eu fosse muito rico com certeza ajudaria muitas pessoas pobres também, pois apesar do correto ser ensinar as pessoas a pescar ao invés de dar o peixe, elas também previsão da vara, correto? Abraços.
Comment by Heriyanto on 2010-06-16:
I am a freelance theacher. I live in Indonesia. My pay from theach is US$70 per month. It’s not enough for me to buy a motorcycle with the good condition. But I know I need that. I want to by Kawasaki Ninja 250. May be any milionare from other country want to help me solve my problem, I will thanks. This is my email hery_uny5658@yahoo.com
Comment by kadiaobrie on 2010-07-28:
upper generation article back
Comment by Hélio Henrique on 2010-08-04:
Ter riqueza é estar de bem com a vida, cheio de saúde, e um bom dinheiro pra gastar. La por volta dos anos 1800 e alguma coisa, 1.000 dolares eram muito dinheiro, hoje dependendo do local que freqüentamos, mal da pra noitada.
E pra quem acha que quem tem deve dar pra quem não tem, é porque nunca teve que lutar pelo que nunca teve. Quem tem é porque lutou e preservou o que ganhou, perdeu noites e noites pensando por onde começaria o dia seguinte, e jamais iremos encontrar alguém que esteja realizado como o que conquistou, pois quem tem 10 quer ter 20, e quem tem 20 quer ter 40, e riqueza não tem teto, ou seja, ninguém é suficientemente rico pra achar que não precisa mais de dinheiro.
E isso de certa forma se torna uma boa escravidão, pois quem tem, também tem que manter o que ganhou, e isto não é fácil, a sociedade é cruel e não perdoa.
Comment by Matematik eksamen on 2010-08-08:
It’s very surprising to see so many people becomming millionaries from working a normal job.. That’s cool!
Very nice data.. I love it!
Thanks..
Comment by hi every1 read ma thingy on 2010-10-23:
The thing on how many millionare and how to be a millionare ruined my day…I’m still in school and am looking for a good job to become a millionare…and from what i see not a lot of people that are not”rich” make it most of their fourtune is passed down…I am planning on being an architect…and if any can please tell me if they get payed well…
Comment by WWS on 2010-10-23:
read ma thingy guy / gal,
Not sure why this ruined your day. You have in your hands one of the most important ingredients to become a millionaire: time!
Can you get paid well as an architect? Sure. But become one of the best architects in the world and you will be paid extremely well.
Comment by Rick Real on 2010-11-02:
There are ~248 million people in America who could be millionaires (ages 15+).
There are 290,000 American millionaires = 0.1% of American citizens are millionaires.
The odds are 99.9% NOT in your favor.
Be realistic.
Comment by Rick Real on 2010-11-02:
Yup. My mistake.
(is there an edit button?)
2.9 million American millionaires = 1%.
Again, apologies. The odds are now only 99% not in your favor.
Comment by WWS on 2010-11-02:
Rick Real,
Not everyone will be a millionaire. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Almost 1 million North Americans have become millionaires from income wages. That is the best proof that it can be done.
Comment by Rick Real on 2010-11-03:
Not everyone will be a millionaire?
Hardly ANYONE will be a millionaire!
As pointed in your own article: “The great majority of the world-wide population (99.87%) does not belong to this exclusive club of millionaires.”
America contains 90% of the population of North America, assuming 90% of the millionaires.
This makes for almost 900,000 income wage millionaires — or roughly 0.3%
[all stats taken with a grain of salt, of course]
You have 7 times greater chance of winning money with a Powerball ticket than you do of landing a high-paying job.
It would also be interesting to see the underlying analysis of WHAT careers these millionaire wage-earners have, as that would be the real pudding.
A better article would be “Do not obsess over becoming a millionaire, enjoy your life instead (you only get one!)”.
Comment by WWS on 2010-11-03:
Rick Real,
There is one sure way of not becoming a millionaire: not believing you can do it. I agree you should not obsess over it, but you must believe you can do it if that is what you really want. And you definetely should not trade “enjoying life” for it.
Comment by Rick Real on 2010-11-05:
Agreed on that.
Who said, “You become what you believe?”
A few people, I’m sure.
I was serious on my request to information on the careers of wage-earning millionaires.
Do you have access to this type of material? If published it would obviously be a tremendous boon to anyone seeking a road to riches.
It would also be a key tool in turning belief into action in laying out the steps needed for such achievement (eg. Fortune 500 CEO, what does it take to become one?).
Thanks.
Comment by WWS on 2010-11-06:
Rick Real,
CapGemini’s World Wealth report provides demographics of millionaires, but I don’t believe they mention their specific careers. However, I believe there is a wide range of careers for people that have found financial success. We all know the jobs that pay well: physicians, lawyers, engineers, middle to upper management. But having a well paid job does not mean you will become a millionaire.
As far as how to become CEO, we have a ton of information on that. Browse through the articles here:
http://ww-success.com/blog/?s=CEO&submit=search
Comment by yehudit teguer on 2010-11-11:
Desde hace 6 anos que abri una institucion donde todo tipo de gente viene a estudiar y de esa forma se sienten espiritualmente mas competas, mas llenas de vida, de seguir adelante. Pero por supuesto que esto es sin ningun tipo de cobro. Les doy estudio, desayuno, cuando puedo tambien almuerzo, pero sin lucro alguno. Los profesionales que ensenan necesitan un sueldo y todo eso sale solamente de mi marido, es por ello que habiendo visto que todo tipo de gente manda mensajes y reciben respuestas se me ocurrio, en realidad tuve el valor, y aqui estoy.
Mi pregunta es si existe alguien que nos pueda ayudar a seguir ayudando ayudandonos. Esta gente nos necesitay todos podemos contribuir, no pido como ser millonaria sino solamente como puedo obtener dinero paraa poder hacer mejores cosas y hacercar a mas mujeres solas, madres solteras, ninos desamparados, familias de poco recurso.
Como hacer? Necesito ayuda, por favor para quien lee esto AYUDEME necesitamos mas bondad en este mundo. Ellos lo necesitan, a Ud. lo esta esperando.
Gracias por leer, por tomarse el tiempo de hacerlo y estoy segura de todo corazon que va a hacer lo imposible por donar lo que sea tanto espiritual como material, hasta puedes dar a amigos para que ellos tambien puedan contribuir en la causa.
Gracias, espero su respusta.
Yehudit Teguer
Directora.
Mi e-mail es yehudit.teguer@gmail.com
Comment by Bacila Florin on 2011-02-14:
Why some people have so much money and some nothing why??!!
A man rich can transfer me 30.000 euro!!
i need money very much because my mom and fathe is very sick..i have 8 brother and sister …and we dont have veri much to ghive…i’m from romania and here it very hard vit money’ jobs..so please hellp me!! i begin you!
Comment by Mario on 2011-02-22:
If you want to become a millionaire Or make money
email me
Mario-arredondo@live.com
Comment by Bunnara on 2011-02-25:
Need your advice and help
Comment by John on 2011-03-14:
This is a very good article and very true. I have assets worth over $1.5 million which makes me a millionaire but in truth, I don’t have no where near a million dollars in my bank account, I am an average person, I drive a pretty standard BMW and live in a four bedroom house. However if I decided to liquidate my assets I would then be a millionaire in cash but that would be a very foolish thing to do.
Comment by Krio on 2011-04-05:
I love how there are people begging for money.. Get on with it.
Comment by dave grants on 2011-07-14:
Actually anyone who consistently makes 25,000 a year will in forty years have earnd and spent 1 milion doollars think about that the next time you pay for a round of beers or buy that pack of smokes
So whose the idiot now?
Comment by dave grants on 2011-07-14:
ps 25000 a year is half the canadian average home income
Comment by dave grants on 2011-07-14:
So if you want a million dollars earn it and invest it by thetime you workd forty years if you baned half your income well happey top 1 % of the worlds richest people.
When I hear people complain about thier wages or thier debt and know that thiers is the story of poor little rich country I laugh LOL
Comment by jawaher on 2011-07-28:
28-7-2011
Dear sir,
i hope and my wish to have 1.mellon dollars becouse i want to get a house and car and big garden with a hours its my dream and to see the world to visit Amarica and france am sad becouse my brithday in 22.july last friday i wish am out of my country in my brithday date but i dont have mony i allways pry to get mony to be rich my dream to have a black BMW car i will pry and pry and pry to have one millon only am so sad.
e-mail : jawaher7777@hotmail.com
contact : 00973-37777964
fax : 00973-17554355
skype : reemareema957
Pingback by Millionaire Mindset » How to become a Millionaire on 2011-08-21:
[...] How to become a Millionaire Filed under: Uncategorized — eddiewz692 @ 5:08 am var addthis_product = 'wpp-261'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":false};Would you like to have a million dollars? For some people this quantity may seem unreachable. However, if you live in a rich country, like the United States, even if you only have an average income, you can reach the goal of becoming a millionaire. The quantity of one million dollars nowadays is not what it used to be anymore. For people that live in some of the largest cities in the world, like New York in the US, London in England, or Tokyo in Japan, this quantity is only enough to buy a house or condo without any luxury. However, this quantity is still used as a measurement to distinguish the privileged people, who are known as HNWI (High Net Worth Individuals). For more information on this subject, see the article “How Many Millionaires are there in the World?” [...]
Comment by Hongly on 2011-12-11:
Dear Sir,
How come to be a millionair if you don’t help yourself? how come for unlucky people who try to workhard but they are not sucessful in the life?
How come the money come to us if we don’t do anything?
I am very hard to be a strong ambitious…..!
How come to be survive just finding a small value to start up?….
Thanks
Hongly