How Many Millionaires Are In The World?
There are over 7.7 billion people in the world currently, according to World Population Review. China and India each have over one billion inhabitants, and there are 11 countries, including the United States which have over 100 million.
The United Nations estimates we gain about 80 million people worldwide every year, and we're projected to hit 10 billion around 2055. Of our current population, 64 percent have less than $10,000 to their name, accounting for just two percent of the world's total wealth. So that means around 5 billion people own less than what it takes to buy a car.
Many of these people have far less than that, and struggle for the most basic human needs, living on just cents a day.
The small amount of millionaires in the world
On the other hand, the wealthiest one percent of the world's population, those with $1 million or more, account for 45 percent of the world's total wealth. Guess how many of them there are...
If your answer was 36 million, you're correct, according to Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report. So, roughly speaking, less than half a percentile of the world's total population are millionaires, and account for almost half the world's wealth.
That's not the coolest thing ever when you think about it, but if you're mad, reserve your distaste for the "ultra-wealthy", which comprise .003 percent but account for over 11 percent of the world's total wealth.
What's even worse is that the ultra-wealthy alone could solve world poverty if they pooled their resources. And while there are a few, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who have pledged to give away the majority of their vast riches to better the world, most have no interest. After all, that's why they're so rich in the first place.
Odds are that you're not a millionaire if you're reading this, so take comfort in knowing that life is not all about money. You can't take it with you once you leave here. Enjoy life each day, and know you're breathing the same air and drinking the same water as that .003 percent.