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The United States has remained the country of choice for mega-rich billionaires and will remain the 'ultra wealth' powerhouse nation for years to come, according to newly released data. A study conducted by Altrata, a wealth intelligence firm based in New York, concluded that the US is home to 38 percent of the world's ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) population, more than the combined share of the top 10 countries. Altrata's annual World Ultra Wealth Report was released last month and analyzes an exclusive group of individuals with a net worth of at least $30 million. The study found that the US's dominance doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon, concluding that ultra-wealthy individuals surged by 21 percent last year and continued to increase in 2025, even outpacing China. Altrata noted that, even though the US experienced market volatility due to the Trump administration's isolationist trade policy, ultra-rich individuals continued to increase their wealth. The study concluded that this was due to corporate earnings, tax cuts for the wealthy, and government deregulation of US businesses. The US accumulated a massive wealth portfolio of $22.3 trillion among 192,470 of the world's richest people. According to the study, America will 'remain the largest ultra wealth region by far' over the next five years at least. In that time, the forecast global ultra wealthy population will likely total 676,970 people, with skyrocketing riches expected in Asia and India. Within the US, Florida, Utah and Texas are expected to experience 'the fastest growth in UHNW numbers,' the study revealed. Globally, China ranked second, but still trailed significantly behind the US with only $5.9 trillion among 54,020 individuals. Altrata found that China underperformed in both 2024 and the first half of 2025 due to trade conflicts with the US and tighter export restrictions, resulting in the weakest growth among the top six countries. The study found that, even though Asian countries were affected by US tariff-induced trade volatility, ultra-wealthy individuals remained resilient, in part due to the tech-heavy markets of South Korea and Taiwan. The following countries in the top 10 were: Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, France, Italy, and India. Other countries are still struggling to compete with US-based billionaires, with the top five richest people in the world still American. Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world with a whopping net worth of $500 billion, followed by Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Page, according to Forbes. The world's wealthiest non-American is Frenchman Bernard Arnault, with a net worth of $186.1 billion, per Forbes. Arnault is the Chairman and CEO of fashion house LVMH, which includes powerhouse brands such as Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and Tiffany & Co. Zhang Yiming is the richest person in China, with a net worth of $69.3 billion, and ranks 28th on the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people. Altrata also noted that ultra-wealthy individuals tend to come from the banking and finance sectors, but patterns are shifting. Technology is becoming a primary industry focus due to rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and evolving media platforms, especially among the younger generation.
