The wealth gap isn’t just growing. It’s reached a point where millionaire households control nearly half of all personal wealth on the planet, according to UBS’ 2025 Global Wealth Report. That concentration of assets at the top tells a bigger story about inequality, economic mobility and what the future might look like for everyone else.
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The Numbers Behind the Divide
When researchers measure wealth inequality, they use something called the Gini coefficient. Think of it as a score between 0 and 1, where 0 means everyone has exactly the same wealth and 1 means one person has everything. No country hits either extreme, but some get uncomfortably close to the top end.
Brazil, Russia and South Africa lead the world in wealth inequality, each posting Gini coefficients around 0.81 to 0.82. That means wealth in those countries is heavily concentrated among a small group at the top while the majority has very little.
The United States isn’t far behind at 0.74. For context, that puts America in the same league as India and Turkey when it comes to how unevenly wealth is distributed.
Energy-rich economies like the UAE and Saudi Arabia also rank high for inequality, reflecting how financial and real assets pile up among upper tiers of wealth holders.
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Where Wealth Is More Evenly Shared
On the flip side, Slovakia and Belgium post the lowest inequality readings in the global dataset. These countries combine strong social safety nets, relatively high household savings rates and policy frameworks that spread asset ownership more broadly.
Qatar also makes the list of more equal countries, which might surprise people given its oil wealth. The difference comes down to how that wealth gets distributed through the population versus concentrated at the very top.
The Trend Isn’t Moving in the Right Direction
Global wealth equality has actually decreased by 0.4% since 2000. That might sound small, but it means things are getting more unequal, not less, even as total global wealth has grown.
When millionaires control nearly half of all personal wealth worldwide, it creates ripple effects throughout the economy. That concentration affects everything from consumer spending patterns to political influence to opportunities for upward mobility.
What This Means for Everyone Else
Wealth concentration at this level changes how economies function. When a small percentage of households controls most assets, they have outsized influence over markets, real estate prices and investment opportunities.
For middle-class families, extreme wealth inequality makes it harder to build assets. Real estate in desirable areas gets bid up beyond reach. Investment opportunities that require capital become exclusive to those who already have money. Starting a business becomes tougher when competing against well-funded players.
The wealth gap also affects social mobility. Kids born into wealthy families have access to better education, networking opportunities and safety nets that make risk-taking possible. Those born without wealth face steeper barriers to climbing the economic ladder, even with talent and hard work.
Politically, wealth concentration translates to power concentration. Campaign donations, lobbying efforts and media influence all skew toward those with resources. Policy decisions end up reflecting the interests of the wealthy more than the broader population.
The Path Forward Isn’t Clear
Some economists argue that wealth inequality is a natural result of capitalism and that attempts to redistribute wealth hurt economic growth. Others point to countries like Slovakia and Belgium as proof that more equal wealth distribution is possible without sacrificing prosperity.
What’s clear is that when millionaires own nearly half of all wealth, the system works very differently than it did in previous generations. The American dream of working your way to financial security looks less achievable when starting from zero means competing against inherited wealth and established networks.
The UBS data shows this isn’t just an American problem. It’s global. And while some countries have found ways to keep inequality in check through policy and social programs, the overall trend since 2000 has moved toward more concentration, not less.
Whether that changes depends on policy choices, economic forces and how societies decide to balance wealth creation with wealth distribution. For now, the data tells a simple story: The gap is wide, it’s growing and nearly half the world’s personal wealth sits in millionaire households.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Millionaires Now Own Nearly Half of the World’s Personal Wealth — Here’s What It Means
