Countries with most billionaires in 2026: Where does India rank?
What's the story
The United States remains the world's billionaire capital in 2026, with a record 989 billionaires and a combined wealth of $8.4 trillion. The country added 106 new billionaires this year alone, including celebrities like Dr. Dre, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift. China comes second with 539 billionaires worth $2.2 trillion, driven by the artificial intelligence boom and consumer goods sector growth.
Indian wealth
India ranks 3rd with 229 billionaires
India ranks third with 229 billionaires, whose total wealth is $1 trillion. This is an increase from last year's $941 billion, thanks to a strong stock market performance. Germany and Russia complete the top five with 212 and 147 billionaires respectively. The United Kingdom slipped from the top 10 this year as Taiwan took its place at number 10 with 66 billionaires worth a combined $245 billion.
New entrants
Record number of billionaires worldwide
Pakistan and Afghanistan have also re-entered the billionaire rankings this year. Pakistan's Sualeh Asif, co-founder of AI code editing tool Cursor, is worth $1.3 billion. Afghanistan's Mirwais Azizi, a Dubai-based real estate developer with an estimated wealth of $1.4 billion, also made it to the list. The total number of billionaires worldwide reached a record high of 3,428 in 2026 across 80 countries and territories.