Billionaire Hotspots: Unveiling the 20 Richest Cities on the Planet
Richest Cities Worldwide Reside Here - Fortunes find their abode in these locales: the top 20 wealthiest cities globally.
By Niels Kruse
What truly signifies a city's wealth? Is it the sheer value of its goods and services? Its tax revenues? Or perhaps the disposable income of its residents, often known as purchasing power? In the eyes of economists in Germany, like GfK, this latter factor paints a clear picture of where the dough piles up.
Is Wealth Concentrated Among the Few?
In the realm of the U.S.A., China, or Russia, such data remains elusive. To identify the wealthiest locales, knowledge-seekers clutch a handy card trick: they sift through the number of billionaires and reason that a prosperous city is where the masses are rolling in cash alongside the rich.
However, reality points to a different tale, as evident in India: Despite Mumbai and Delhi boasting 50 billionaires, countless residents are left struggling to make ends meet.
Billionaires Increase at a Steady Clip
The skies-reaching firm of Henley and Partners—a posh citizenship service catering to the high rollers—curates a list of the cities that house the most fabulously rich souls[1]. When the millionaire-to-billionaire ratio is the same, the rate of wealth growth is given extra weight over the number of (multi-)millionaires.
In 2021, the global billionaire population grew by 141, resulting in an astounding 2781 individuals sporting nine-figure net worths. That's one new comma-worthy member every 2.5 days[1]. Between 2001 and the present, their numbers have skyrocketed almost six-fold, with French tycoon Bernard Arnault, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Tesla virtuoso Elon Musk sitting atop the wealthiest heap.
A Galary of the Wealthy
- Prosperity
- USA
- China
- Wealth
Intrigued about the wealthiest dens in the world? Due to data scantness from reliable sources, we can only present our best educated guesses. Here's what we know:
- New York City: With 129 billionaires, New York City outshines all others[2][3].
- Hong Kong: Often gracing the top of the charts, its 2025 number elderberry untold[2].
- London: According to 2024 data, London packs 97 billionaires[2]. However, 2025 figures are hush-hush.
- Mumbai: Holding 92 billionaires as of 2024, this metropolis remains a global player[2][3].
- Bengaluru and New Delhi: They stand tall as significant billionaire cities in India[3].
Additional data from sources like Forbes or the Hurun Global Rich List could generate a more accurate list. But, here are some notable cities teeming with wealth:
- The Bay Area (San Francisco and Silicon Valley)
- Tokyo
- Singapore
- Los Angeles
- Paris
- Hong Kong
- Sydney
- Chicago[4].
These locales are renowned for robust economic sectors and abundance of wealth, but the exact rankings by billionaire count remain unclear.
In the pursuit of identifying the wealthiest cities, one cannot overlook the importance of a city's employment and wealth management policies, as they contribute significantly to the disposable income of its residents. For instance, the community policy and employment policy of cities like New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore, might play a crucial role in attracting investment, fostering wealth-management, and ultimately, encouraging the growth of their billionaire populations. Furthermore, understanding the economy's structure, including the finance and investing sectors in these cities, could provide valuable insights into their wealth concentration.
