The Top Countries by Wealth per Person
Visualizing the Top Countries by Wealth per Person
When looking at wealth per person on a country-by-country basis, is it more important to look at median wealth or average wealth?
Many experts believe that median wealth provides the most accurate picture of wealth since it identifies the middle point of a dataset, with half of the data points above this number, and half falling below it. In this way, it is less impacted by extreme values, and gives a good representation of the “middle of the pack”.
With that said, average wealth gives you a true average, even though it may get distorted by outliers, like the fortunes held by billionaires.
Either way, today’s graphic compares both average and median wealth across select countries, using data from the 2023 UBS Global Wealth Report.
Top Countries by Average Wealth per Person
In 2022, global average wealth per adult stood at $84,718.
By these measures, Switzerland ranks at the top at $685,226 per person. Over 15% of the population are millionaires, the third-highest rate in the world. However, when looking at median wealth per person, it stands at $167,353, a difference of over $517,000.
Like Switzerland, five of the top 10 countries by average wealth are in Western Europe, including Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The table below shows average wealth per adult in 2022 across 39 countries analyzed by UBS:
| Rank | Country | Mean Wealth per Adult |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Switzerland |
$685,226 |
| 2 |  U.S. |
$551,347 |
| 3 |  Australia |
$496,819 |
| 4 |  Denmark |
$409,954 |
| 5 |  New Zealand |
$388,761 |
| 6 |  Norway |
$385,338 |
| 7 |  Singapore |
$382,957 |
| 8 |  Canada |
$369,577 |
| 9 |  Netherlands |
$358,235 |
| 10 |  Belgium |
$352,814 |
| World | $84,718 |
The U.S. falls second, with a mean wealth per adult of $551,347.
Overall, it is home to 38% of global millionaires, outpacing the second-highest country, China, by more than three times. With a significant wealth gap, income inequality in the U.S. is among the highest across developed nations.
Ranking seventh is Singapore, with the highest average wealth per adult across Asia. Income inequality in Singapore falls at a similar level to America based on its Gini ratio.
