Our eighth and latest edition of the Wealth-X Billionaire Census analyzes the status of the world’s billionaires, who, despite being modest in number, hold immense wealth and wield a significant influence over the global economy.

In a year of dramatic upheaval and polarizing trends in wealth generation, we explore the global billionaire population and its wealth in 2020, presenting global wealth drivers, regional trends and a ranking of the leading billionaire countries and cities. 

We analyze the distribution of wealth among the global rich1, providing context that highlights the considerable and growing influence of the billionaire class. We also reveal wealth gains by wealth tier and identify the top primary industries accounting for the largest billionaire wealth gains. Within this we detail the 15 wealthiest individuals by their total wealth, wealth source, primary company and industry. 

For the first time, this report shines a spotlight on ‘new’ billionaires — those who became billionaires in 2020. We draw out a range of characteristics — their number and median wealth, wealth source, gender, age, industry focus and asset holdings — and explore the extent to which they differ from their peers in the general billionaire population.

Wealth-X’s comprehensive database of billionaires (as defined by net worth) provides an unrivaled insight into the status of the world’s wealthiest individuals and their characteristics, making it an essential read for any provider looking to prospect for and engage with individuals in this extraordinarily exclusive group.