People around the world are getting progressively wealthier – and that doesn’t just apply to those who already own great wealth. Upward wealth mobility is expected to become more pronounced by 2030 and, further out, signs of a horizontal wealth transfer emerge.

Zurich, 10 July 2024 – In 2023 wealth growth across the world has recovered from its 3% contraction the previous year. The contraction in 2022 was largely attributable to currency effects, i.e. a strong USD. However, the bounce back of 4.2% offset the loss from 2022, regardless of whether it is expressed in USD or local currencies, and was driven by growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at 4.8%, as well as Asia-Pacific (APAC) at 4.4%. Moreover, as inflation slowed, real growth exceeded nominal growth in 2023, resulting in inflation-adjusted global wealth growing by nearly 8.4%.