Seoul Home to 6,220 Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals, Recording Highest Growth Rate

On June 22 (local time), wealth intelligence firm Altrata estimated in its "World Ultra Wealth Report 2026" that the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide—those with a net worth of over $30 million—increased by 14.4% over the past year, reaching 556,850 as of the end of last year.

The report identified the top 12 cities globally with the highest number of individuals possessing more than $30 million in assets, with Seoul ranking 12th with 6,220 individuals.

The number of such individuals in Seoul rose by 36.3% from the previous year to 6,220, marking the highest growth rate among the 12 cities listed.

Maya Imberg, Director of Thought Leadership at Altrata, stated, "The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals has been steadily increasing over the past decade, and the pace of growth has accelerated." She attributed this rise and the increase in their asset values to low inflation, robust corporate earnings, and the investment boom in artificial intelligence.

In particular, the number of individuals with a net worth exceeding $100 million grew at an even faster rate.

The report analyzed that these individuals expanded their wealth by founding or investing in rapidly growing technology companies.

The "World Inequality Report 2026" also highlighted the trend of increasing wealth among the affluent.

According to this report, the assets of the top billionaires grew at an average annual rate of approximately 8.5% between 1995 and 2025.

In contrast, the assets of the bottom 50% grew by only 3.4% annually.

The report estimated the average wealth of the 60,000 ultra-high-net-worth individuals who make up the top 0.001% globally to be $254 million (approximately 380 billion KRW).

The largest share of these individuals resided in the United States (37%), followed by China (10%) and Germany (5%).

Report author Ricardo Gomez-Carrera pointed out, "A population that could fit into a single soccer stadium owns three times more wealth than the combined assets of the world's bottom 4 billion people."

The Wall Street Journal reported that in the United States, the number of CEOs with compensation packages exceeding $100 million (approximately 153 billion KRW) in 2025 reached 26, a significant increase from 12 the previous year.

This is the highest level since 2021, with 11 of these individuals receiving packages exceeding $200 million.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk stands out among them.

Musk, already considered the world's wealthiest person, set a new record in this field with a compensation package valued at $158 billion.

CEO Shankh Mitra followed in second place with $821 million.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that four executives at Welltower, a major U.S. senior housing and nursing home company, caused a stir by receiving a combined total of $1.3 billion in compensation.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.