Key figures from the chart
- North America has 42% of the world’s adults with more than $1 million in wealth, but only 2% of those with under $10,000.
- Europe accounts for 27% of adults in both the $100K to $1M and over $1M bands.
- China makes up 40% of adults with $10,000 to $100,000, the largest share of any region in any band.
- Africa (22%), Asia-Pacific (28%) and India (24%) together account for 74% of adults with under $10,000.
- All figures are from the graphic, which cites the UBS Global Wealth Databook (2023).
Global wealth distribution by region, in text
The chart is titled “The Global Distribution of Wealth”. Each band is a stacked bar showing each region’s share of all adults worldwide in that wealth range, in US dollars. Read down a column: for example, 42% of the world’s millionaire adults live in North America.
| Region | Under $10K | $10K to $100K | $100K to $1M | Over $1M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 22% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| Asia-Pacific | 28% | 19% | 20% | 17% |
| China | 8% | 40% | 25% | 11% |
| India | 24% | 12% | 3% | 1% |
| Europe | 6% | 12% | 27% | 27% |
| Latin America | 10% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| North America | 2% | 5% | 19% | 42% |
| Column total (our sum) | 100% | 101% | 99% | 101% |
China and India are shown separately from the rest of Asia-Pacific. A world map on the graphic colours each country by these seven regions. The footer reads “Source: UBS Global Wealth Databook (2023)” and carries the Visual Capitalist logo. Columns add to 99% to 101% because of rounding.
How Visual Capitalist explains the pattern
Visual Capitalist published the chart in December 2023, first on its Voronoi app, as “Charted, The Global Distribution of Wealth, by Region”, based on UBS data [1]. Its article says the distribution of wealth gives a sense of a region’s stage of economic maturity, because as economies grow they are more likely to have a higher share of adults with greater wealth [1].
The article points out that North America and Europe, with advanced economies, have the largest shares of people above $1 million. China, which it describes as moving to a more service based economy, accounts for a large share of people between $10,000 and $1 million. Emerging markets such as India account for larger shares of the two lowest bands [1]. It adds that inequality within and between countries has increased since the 1980s, while global median wealth has increased fivefold since 2000, driven largely by China’s economic growth [1].
Wealth distribution in wider context
The distribution of wealth compares the wealth of members of a society, which is different from income: it measures what people own rather than what they earn [2]. Wealth is much more unequal than income. A United Nations University study found that in 2000 the richest 1% of adults owned 40% of global assets and the richest 10% owned 85%, while the bottom half of the world’s adults owned 1% [2]. The OECD estimated in 2012 that the 0.6% of the world’s population with more than US$1 million held 39.3% of world wealth [2].
This chart measures something different. It shows where the people in each wealth band live, not how much of the world’s wealth each band holds.
Notes on this infographic
- Data edition. The source line names the 2023 edition of the UBS Global Wealth Databook. Later UBS editions exist, so current shares may differ.
- Shares of adults, not of wealth. The percentages are each region’s share of the adults in a band. They do not show the share of wealth held.
- Totals. Our sums of the printed values are 100%, 101%, 99% and 101% for the four bands, because each value is rounded.
- Checked. All 28 values match the table in Visual Capitalist’s article [1].
Questions about global wealth distribution
How is wealth distributed in the world?
On this chart, adults with under $10,000 are concentrated in Asia-Pacific, India and Africa, while adults with over $1 million are concentrated in North America (42%) and Europe (27%). China dominates the middle band, $10,000 to $100,000, with 40%.
What percentage of wealth do the top 10% have?
This chart does not show wealth shares. A United Nations University study cited by Wikipedia found the richest 10% of adults held 85% of global household wealth in 2000 [2].
Where do most millionaires live?
North America, home to 42% of the world's adults with more than $1 million in wealth, according to the UBS Global Wealth Databook (2023). Europe has 27%, the rest of Asia-Pacific 17% and China 11%. Latin America accounts for 2%, and Africa and India for 1% each.
Where do most people with less than $10,000 in wealth live?
Asia-Pacific has the largest share, 28% of the world's adults with under $10,000, followed by India at 24% and Africa at 22%. Together those three regions account for 74% of adults in the lowest band, while North America has only 2%. Visual Capitalist says emerging markets such as India account for larger shares of the two lowest bands [1].
Sources
- Visual Capitalist, Charted, The Global Distribution of Wealth, by Region, by Marcus Lu, 27 December 2023 (live page visualcapitalist.com; read via the Wayback Machine copy of 28 December 2023 because the live page is behind a Cloudflare check).
- Wikipedia, Distribution of wealth.
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
