The richest countries in the world
New World Wealth has released its W20 report, showing the 20 richest countries in the world – and in Africa.
The list is based on “total individual wealth” held, which refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals in each country.
This is split into two categories – total and per capita – with some big differences between the two.
It includes all their net assets (wealth), including all property, cash, equities and business interests.
In terms of overall wealth, it’s no surprise that the United States takes the top spot, with total individual wealth adding to a combined $48.7 trillion.
This is followed, by some margin, by China, with total wealth of $17.3 trillion, and Japan, with a total of $15.2 trillion.
| # | Country | Total wealth (US$ billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 48 734 |
| 2 | China | 17 254 |
| 3 | Japan | 15 230 |
| 4 | Germany | 9 358 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 9 240 |
| 6 | France | 8 722 |
| 7 | Italy | 7 308 |
| 8 | Canada | 4 796 |
| 9 | Australia | 4 497 |
| 10 | India | 3 492 |
| 11 | Spain | 3 123 |
| 12 | Brazil | 2 687 |
| 13 | South Korea | 2 269 |
| 14 | Switzerland | 2 195 |
| 15 | Mexico | 1 865 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 1 848 |
| 17 | Belgium | 1 523 |
| 18 | Russian Federation | 1 473 |
| 19 | Indonesia | 1 424 |
| 20 | Sweden | 1 387 |
However, when looking at average wealth per capita, Switzerland climbs to the top of the rankings, with $285,100 per capita, which followed by Australia ($204,400) and the United States ($150,600).
| # | Country | Wealth per capita (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 285 100 |
| 2 | Australia | 204 400 |
| 3 | United states | 150 600 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 147 600 |
| 5 | Sweden | 146 000 |
| 6 | Belgium | 141 000 |
| 7 | Canada | 139 000 |
| 8 | France | 138 000 |
| 9 | Italy | 121 000 |
| 10 | Japan | 120 300 |
| 11 | Germany | 114 400 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 108 700 |
| 13 | Spain | 67 900 |
| 14 | South Korea | 46 300 |
| 15 | Mexico | 16 500 |
| 16 | Brazil | 13 500 |
| 17 | China | 12 800 |
| 18 | Russian Federation | 10 600 |
| 19 | Indonesia | 6 000 |
| 20 | India | 2 800 |
According to NWW, certain countries such as India and Indonesia, only make it into the W20 due to their large populations. On a per capita basis, they are relatively poor, at $2,800 and $6,000 per capita, respectively.
“Surprisingly, the UK ranks ahead of Sweden and well ahead of Germany on this measure. This is mainly down to the high value of real estate in the UK,” the group said.
“Also in Germany, many people do not own their homes and rent instead – this negatively impacts on their total net assets (wealth).”
Looking beyond the top 20 countries, and taking all countries into account, there are a few small population nations that have an exceptionally large per capita wealth.
Notably, countries such as Monaco and Liechtenstein carry per capita wealth multiple times larger than Switzerland, at $1.5 million and $620,000, respectively.
Top 20 in Africa
Looking at Africa, Mauritius is by far the richest on a per capita basis with $21,710 averaged per person. South Africa ranks second at $11,000, but is closely followed by Namibia at $10,520.
| # | Country | Wealth per capita (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauritius | 21 700 |
| 2 | South Africa | 11 000 |
| 3 | Namibia | 10 520 |
| 4 | Botswana | 6 750 |
| 5 | Algeria | 6 240 |
| 6 | Morocco | 5 840 |
| 7 | Egypt | 4 430 |
| 8 | Angola | 3 920 |
| 9 | Nigeria | 1 380 |
| 10 | Cote d’Ivoire | 1 290 |
| 11 | Ghana | 1 170 |
| 12 | Senegal | 1 120 |
| 13 | Zambia | 1 070 |
| 14 | Kenya | 1 010 |
| 15 | Tanzania | 570 |
| 16 | Zimbabwe | 550 |
| 17 | Mali | 510 |
| 18 | Mozambique | 440 |
| 19 | Uganda | 390 |
| 20 | Ethiopia | 290 |
More on wealth
What it takes to be in the richest 1% of the world
What if South Africa’s richest men gave all their money away?
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