Europe’s Richest: Which Countries Hold the Biggest Share of Global Personal Wealth?
Global Distribution of Personal Wealth
Main Highlights
- US and China dominate – together they hold 54% of worldwide individual wealth.
- European share – the continent accounts for 22%, far below the global average.
- Top contributors – Europe’s leading five economies are the main drivers of the region’s wealth.
These figures underscore the concentration of individual assets in the United States and China, while Europe’s personal wealth remains comparatively modest, with its largest economies at the forefront of the national rankings.
Europe’s Share of Global Personal Wealth
Recent research shows that the United Kingdom leads Europe with the largest portion of global personal wealth, holding an impressive 3.84% of the total. Germany follows closely, capturing 3.76%, while France accounts for 3.30%.
Continuing down the ranking, Italy represents 2.25% and Spain 1.95% of worldwide personal wealth, respectively.
It is noteworthy that the continent’s five largest economies—United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain—occupy the top five positions on the global wealth distribution list.
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China larger than Europe’s top five combined
European Personal Wealth: A Snapshot of Global Distribution
Leading Nations
Although Europe’s five largest economies—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom—collectively account for 15.1% of the world’s personal wealth, they still trail behind China’s 19.4% share.
Key Contributors Above the 1% Threshold
- Netherlands: 1.14%
- Switzerland: 1.04%
Other European Shares
The rest of Europe’s economies hold considerably smaller portions of global wealth:
- 19 out of 31 European countries possess less than 0.4% each.
- Several nations report below 0.1%, including Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Cyprus, Estonia, and Malta.
Nominal Wealth in Europe
- United Kingdom: €16.7 trillion
- Germany: €16.4 trillion
- France: €14.3 trillion
- All other European countries fall beneath the €10 trillion mark.
Country totals, not wealth per person
Global Wealth Distribution Overview
These figures depict total wealth and how it is shared among nations. They do not show which countries have wealthier individuals; the metric for that comparison is wealth per adult.
Link Between Economic Size and Personal Wealth
- Higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generally associated with a larger portion of the world’s personal wealth.
- For instance, the top five European economies—Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain—illustrate this trend.
- Although GDP varies widely, many other countries also follow this pattern.
Dominance of the United States and China
According to the report, a mix of high wealth per adult and large populations explains why the United States and China control over half of global wealth:
- In the United States, a high wealth per adult coupled with a population of nearly 330 million enables it to hold approximately 35 % of total wealth when measured in U.S. dollars.
- China’s vast population—about 1.4 billion—contributes to it possessing roughly 20 % of personal wealth worldwide.
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- UK job vacancies fall at a slower pace while wage growth holds steady.
- German economic sentiment tumbles as EU–US trade deal underwhelms.
Wealth rises in Eastern Europe, declines in the west
Global Personal Wealth Expansion in 2024
In 2024, monetary prosperity worldwide accelerated, with the overall rise in personal wealth surpassing that of the previous year—moving from 4.2 % to 4.6 % in U.S. dollar equivalents. Yet, this aggregated growth masks significant regional disparities.
Regions with Notable Growth
- Eastern Europe – achieved the biggest surge, with personal wealth climbing over 12 % compared with 2023, and expanding by 28,000 new millionaires, a 2.9 % rise.
- Greater China – recorded a 3.4 % increase, outpacing Southeast Asia, which grew by 2.7 %.
- Middle East & Africa – grew by 4.2 %, marking the only other region showing positive advancement beyond the global mean.
Regions Facing Decline
After adjusting for population, several areas experienced downward trends:
- Western Europe – a 1.5 % decrease.
- Oceania – also saw a 1.5 % drop.
- Latin America – witnessed a steeper decline of 4.3 %.
The worldwide data underscores that while global wealth is on the rise, the pace and magnitude of growth vary sharply across continents, highlighting both burgeoning opportunities and emerging challenges.
What is personal wealth?
European Wealth Trends from 2023 to 2024
Net worth, our measure of personal fortune, is calculated by subtracting an individual’s total debts from the sum of their financial and real assets—primarily real estate. Personal pension investments are counted, whereas entitlements to state‑pensions are excluded.
Broad Shifts in Adult Wealth
Across most European nations, the average adult’s net wealth grew between 2023 and 2024. A handful of countries experienced slight contractions, but the general trend points to a rising sense of financial security for many.
Concentration of Wealth
In the eurozone, the top ten percent of households commanded a striking 57.3 % of total net household wealth by the end of 2024. This figure highlights how wealth inequality varies dramatically from one country to another.
- Private pension assets bolster household wealth but do not factor in state pension benefits.
- Most nations saw an increase in wealth per adult, though a few recorded declines.
- The wealth gap across the eurozone remains wide, with higher concentrations in wealthier nations.
These dynamics paint a nuanced picture of financial well‑being and inequality across Europe, illustrating both progress and persistent disparities in wealth distribution.
