FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Booming equity markets have significantly expanded the ranks of dollar millionaires. According to an analysis by consultancy firm Capgemini, 25.3 million people worldwide held investable assets of at least one million dollars last year. This represents an increase of nearly 2 million compared to 2024.

In Germany, Capgemini reports that approximately 1.78 million people belonged to the group of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in 2025, an 11.1 percent increase over the previous year. Their total wealth grew by 12.7 percent to over 7.1 trillion dollars (approximately 6.1 trillion euros), bolstered in part by easing inflation.

Germany thus maintained its third-place position in international rankings. The United States remained the frontrunner, where the number of millionaires rose by 736,000 to 8.7 million - a larger increase than in any other country. Significant gains were also recorded in Japan, ranked second, with 436,000 additional millionaires, and China, ranked fourth, with an increase of 154,000. Together, the four largest millionaire nations - the USA, Japan, Germany, and China - account for nearly two-thirds (65.7 percent) of all millionaires worldwide.

According to the latest 'World Wealth Report', the wealth of the world's affluent grew at its fastest annual rate ever recorded: global wealth rose by an estimated 8.7 percent to a record 98.3 trillion dollars (approximately 84.4 trillion euros). Within this group, the number of Ultra-High Net Worth Individuals with investable assets of at least 30 million dollars grew the fastest globally, at a rate of 9.4 percent.

In its 'World Wealth Report', published annually since 1997, Capgemini accounts for stocks, bonds, alternative investments such as private equity, cash, and real estate, provided it is not owner-occupied. Art collections and consumer durables such as cars and jewelry are excluded. The study is based on several surveys involving 6,510 high net worth individuals across 27 markets, 144 wealth management executives, and 1,317 relationship managers./lea/als/DP/zb