Number of billionaires globally soars by 13% amid AI shares boom

The number of billionaires in the world has jumped by 13% to a record 3,302 people, new figures show, as the super-rich accumulate wealth at an accelerating rate. Billionaires’ wealth grew by 25% on average in the year ended in April, compared with a 10.8% rise in average personal wealth around the world, the Swiss bank UBS found. There were 18 people who had amassed wealth between $50bn (£37.8bn) and $100bn, with a further 19 people who were worth more than $100bn. Of these people, 15 were based in the US. James Mazeau, an economist at the bank, said billionaires had benefited from the AI boom in the stock market. “Most [billionaire] wealth is tied to listed companies,” he said. “So part of the rise is due to equity markets. “The AI boom story is fuelling equity markets. In countries where there is a lot of participation and equity market, this is leading to an increase in wealth.”. The millionaire class has also been rapidly expanding, according to UBS, which found the global millionaire population reached more than 57.5 million last year. This was also helped by rising stock markets and, because the millionaire metric is measured in US dollars, a relatively weak greenback last year. The US, where more than 440,000 people became millionaires for the first time, made up almost half of the growth in 2025. In the UK alone, more than 43,000 people became millionaires last year. It comes as the gap between the world’s richest and poorest continues to grow. …