Alisher Usmanov Photo by RIA Novosti
These figures are cited in the “Billionaire Census 2026” report by the analytics firm Altrata. The report notes that the United States, China, and Germany rank higher than Russia. There are 1,265 billionaires in the United States, 363 in China, and 221 in Germany. Over the past year, the number in Germany rose by 20%, in China by 13%, and in the United States by 11.5%.
The Russian group has expanded amid changes in the economy and foreign trade. Altrata notes the impact of exchange rates and interest rates, as well as growth in revenue from exports of non-oil commodities. Among other factors, the company also cites the reorientation of Russian exports toward Asian markets.
According to RBC, in 2024 Russia rose to fourth place for the first time, increasing the number of billionaires to 128. In 2023, the country ranked sixth.
The global club of the ultra-wealthy also expanded significantly last year. The number of billionaires increased by 287, or 8.2%, to 3,795. This is the highest growth rate in five years. Their combined wealth increased by 12.8% to $15.1 trillion. Altrata considers the investment boom surrounding artificial intelligence to be the main driver of this growth.
Analysts examined 150 publicly traded companies that have the greatest impact on billionaires’ wealth. In 2024–2025, the market capitalization of companies actively investing in AI grew 23% faster than that of others.
At the same time, the bulk of the capital growth is concentrated among a small group of the wealthiest individuals. There are a total of 29 billionaires worldwide, each with more than $50 billion. They account for 27.2% of the total wealth of all billionaires.
The age of the world’s wealthiest people also influences the structure of wealth. The average billionaire is 71 years old. Women make up only 13% of this group. Sixty-two percent of billionaires built their fortunes from scratch, while 8% inherited them entirely.
Altrata anticipates a massive transfer of wealth to the next generation: over the next ten years, approximately $6.6 trillion could pass to heirs.
At the same time, wealth estimates can fluctuate significantly in line with market conditions.
It should be noted that Altrata’s study captures the situation as of 2025, whereas the wealth indices of the wealthiest businesspeople are updated throughout the year to reflect the value of their assets.
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