The richest one percent now controls 34.8 percent of all millionaire wealth
Em 2025, o número de milionários no mundo ultrapassou 25,3 milhões — quase dois milhões a mais do que no ano anterior —, enquanto sua riqueza combinada chegou a US$ 98,3 trilhões, o maior salto anual desde 2018. O fenômeno não é apenas estatístico: reflete como os mercados financeiros, impulsionados pela corrida à inteligência artificial, tornaram-se o principal motor de criação de fortunas no mundo contemporâneo. A riqueza, porém, não se distribuiu de forma uniforme — ela se concentrou ainda mais no topo, enquanto regiões dependentes de commodities como o Oriente Médio viram sua fatia encolher.
- A população global de milionários cresceu 7,9% em um único ano, marcando a maior aceleração de riqueza investível desde 2018.
- A inteligência artificial tornou-se o principal catalisador desse crescimento, com setores ligados à tecnologia puxando os mercados em cinco das seis regiões analisadas.
- A Ásia-Pacífico liderou a expansão com 9,4% de crescimento, enquanto os EUA sozinhos adicionaram 736 mil novos milionários — e o Oriente Médio foi a única região a encolher, pressionada pela queda do petróleo.
- A concentração de riqueza se aprofundou: o 1% mais rico entre os próprios milionários já controla 34,8% de toda a riqueza desse grupo.
- Os ultra-ricos — com patrimônio acima de US$ 30 milhões — cresceram 9,4%, chegando a cerca de 250 mil pessoas no mundo, sinalizando que a maré alta eleva mais os iates do que os barcos.
Segundo pesquisa divulgada pela consultoria Capgemini, o mundo conta agora com 25,3 milhões de pessoas com ao menos um milhão de dólares disponíveis para investimento — quase dois milhões a mais do que em 2024. A riqueza combinada desse grupo chegou a US$ 98,3 trilhões, representando o maior crescimento anual desde 2018.
O avanço foi impulsionado pela valorização das bolsas de valores e pela desaceleração da inflação. O boom da inteligência artificial fez o trabalho pesado: setores ligados à tecnologia puxaram os mercados em cinco das seis regiões analisadas pela Capgemini, que exclui imóveis de uso próprio de sua definição de riqueza, focando apenas em ativos investíveis.
A distribuição dos ganhos, porém, foi desigual. A Ásia-Pacífico liderou com crescimento de 9,4% no número de milionários, impulsionada pela indústria de semicondutores e pelo desempenho do Japão e da China. A América do Norte veio logo atrás, com 9,1%, e os Estados Unidos sozinhos adicionaram 736 mil novos milionários, totalizando 8,7 milhões. Europa cresceu 6,5%, África 4,1% e América Latina apenas 0,3%. O Oriente Médio foi a única região a recuar, perdendo 1,4% de sua população milionária com a queda nos preços do petróleo.
Enquanto o bolo crescia, ele também se concentrava. O 1% mais rico entre os próprios milionários passou a controlar 34,8% de toda a riqueza do grupo. Os ultra-ricos — com patrimônio acima de US$ 30 milhões — cresceram 9,4%, chegando a cerca de 250 mil pessoas. A inteligência artificial, mais do que uma tendência tecnológica, consolida-se como a principal força de redistribuição — e concentração — de riqueza no mundo atual.
The world's millionaire population crossed a new threshold last year. According to research released Thursday by the consulting firm Capgemini, there are now 25.3 million people with at least a million dollars available for investment—nearly two million more than the year before. Their combined wealth has swelled to $98.3 trillion, the largest annual increase since 2018.
The surge was propelled by surging stock markets and cooling inflation. Capgemini's definition of wealth excludes primary residences, focusing instead on investable assets. The 7.9 percent jump in millionaire count and the 8.7 percent rise in total wealth represent a sharp acceleration after years of more modest gains. Stock markets, particularly those sectors riding the artificial intelligence boom, did the heavy lifting across five of the six major geographic regions the firm analyzed.
The gains were not evenly distributed. Asia-Pacific led the way with a 9.4 percent increase in millionaires, driven largely by the semiconductor industry and strength in Japan and China. North America followed closely at 9.1 percent growth, with the United States accounting for most of that expansion. More than 736,000 new millionaires emerged in America alone, bringing the national total to 8.7 million. Europe added millionaires at a 6.5 percent rate, Africa at 4.1 percent, and Latin America at just 0.3 percent. The Middle East was the only region to contract, losing 1.4 percent of its millionaire population as oil prices fell.
Concentration of wealth intensified even as the overall pool expanded. The richest one percent of this already-wealthy cohort now controls 34.8 percent of all millionaire wealth. Meanwhile, the ultra-wealthy—those with at least $30 million in net worth—grew by 9.4 percent to reach approximately 250,000 people globally.
Capgemini based its findings on interviews with 6,510 high-net-worth individuals across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. The data captures a moment when technology-driven markets have reshaped the geography of wealth creation, with artificial intelligence emerging as the dominant engine of new fortunes.
Citações Notáveis
Stock markets, particularly those driven by artificial intelligence gains, were the primary engine of wealth creation for high-net-worth individuals across five of six major regions— Capgemini
Wealth among the ultra-wealthy remains highly concentrated, with the top one percent holding 34.8 percent of all millionaire wealth— Capgemini
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What does it mean that stock markets, particularly AI-related gains, were the main driver? Are we talking about people who work in tech, or just investors?
Both, really. Some of these new millionaires built companies or hold significant stakes in AI firms. But many more are simply investors—people who owned the right stocks at the right time. The wealth creation happened in the markets, not necessarily in the boardroom.
The US added 736,000 new millionaires in a single year. That's a staggering number. Does that reflect actual economic productivity, or is it mostly asset inflation?
It's almost certainly asset inflation. Stock prices rose sharply, especially in tech. If you owned shares before the rally, your net worth jumped on paper. Whether that translates to real economic output is a different question entirely.
Why did the Middle East lose millionaires while everywhere else gained?
Oil. When crude prices fall, the wealth that flows from energy exports shrinks. The region's millionaires are heavily concentrated in oil-linked industries. It's a reminder that wealth creation isn't universal—it's tied to specific sectors and commodities.
The top one percent of millionaires controls 34.8 percent of millionaire wealth. That's extraordinary concentration within an already-concentrated group.
Exactly. You're looking at a pyramid within a pyramid. The study shows that even as the millionaire class expands, the wealth is funneling upward faster than the population is growing. The ultra-wealthy are pulling away from everyone else.
What happens if stock markets correct sharply?
Many of these new millionaires would no longer qualify. Their wealth exists largely on paper. A significant market downturn could erase millions from the count as quickly as they appeared.