A new millionaire in Saudi Arabia every hour - Sarmad
The number of millionaires in Saudi Arabia is growing rapidly, driven by an improved investment culture, the development of incentives aimed at savings and investment, alongside rising property values and expanding investment opportunities in the largest Arab economy.
Collectively, these factors contributed to the emergence of a new millionaire in the Kingdom every hour during the past year, averaging 24,000 millionaires daily, according to the Financial Analysis Unit of “Al-Eqtisadiah,” based on the “Global Wealth Report 2026” published by the Swiss bank UBS, which covers more than 90% of global wealth.
At the end of 2025, Saudi Arabia led Arab countries in the number of US dollar millionaires, with a total of 348,000 millionaires—nearly double the number in the United Arab Emirates, which ranked second among Arab nations with 183,000 millionaires.
Saudi Arabia is also the only Arab country included in the list of the world’s top 20 countries by number of millionaires, after their numbers rose by 2.7% to reach approximately 8,700 new millionaires during the past year, at a rate of one millionaire per hour.
Regarding the asset distribution of millionaires in Saudi Arabia, financial assets account for about 59% of their wealth, placing the Kingdom 13th globally in terms of the share of financial assets in total wealth.
Saudi Arabia also ranks second among countries with the lowest debt-to-wealth ratio, at approximately 6%.
The United States accounts for nearly half of the world’s millionaires.
The United States alone accounted for nearly half of the world’s millionaires in 2025.
China ranked second, with approximately one-fifth of the number recorded in the United States, hosting 5.3 million millionaires, followed by Japan in third place with 2.9 million millionaires.
Germany, the United Kingdom, and France ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, representing the last countries where the number of millionaires exceeded two million. They were followed by Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, with numbers ranging between one and two million millionaires.
Switzerland and India had similar numbers of millionaires, at approximately 944,000 each, a level slightly lower than that recorded in Spain.
Some smaller economies also featured prominently in the rankings with large numbers of millionaires; Taiwan hosted more than 770,000 millionaires, while Hong Kong hosted approximately 630,000.
In Latin America, Brazil had the largest concentration of millionaires, with approximately 386,000, followed by Mexico with approximately 333,000.
Nearly one million new millionaires
Personal wealth rose by more than 10% last year, recording the fastest growth rate in years, while the number of millionaires continued to climb, with nearly one million new millionaires joining the ranks globally during 2025, averaging approximately 2,700 new millionaires per day.
The global number of millionaires continued its upward trajectory, which had persisted for years, and 2025 was no exception; estimates indicate their numbers grew by 1.5%.
Although this percentage may appear modest, it equates to the addition of nearly one million new millionaires within a single year, or more than 2,680 millionaires per day.
The number of millionaires in any market does not necessarily reflect the size or strength of its economy, nor even the average level of individual wealth. The figure is influenced by other factors not directly linked to economic power, including home ownership, private retirement savings, and the availability of tax incentives aimed at savings and investment.
