The super rich rocket ahead of the regular rich
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The booming stock market is making a lot of folks richer, especially those who are already spectacularly rich, finds a report out from consulting firm Capgemini Thursday.
Why it matters: Welp. Even among those who invest in stocks and other kinds of financial assets, there's a wealth divide — and it's growing.
- That's worth noting at a time when more regular folks are putting their money in markets, while those who aren't invested are seeing the value of their incomes erode with higher inflation.
What they found: Last year, for the second year running, the ultra-rich saw bigger gains in wealth than "the millionaires next door," as Capgemini calls them, with lower net worth.
- The report estimates net worth around the world using data from The World Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit and national government statistics, counting anyone with investable assets of at least $1 million as high net worth. (That number doesn't include an individual's primary residence.)
Zoom in: Globally, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, those with $30 million or more in investable assets, saw their wealth increase nearly 10%.
- The so-called "millionaires next door," with $1 million to $5 million, had growth of less than 8%.
- Ultra-high-net-worth individuals make up just 1% of the high-net-worth population, but hold 34.8% of the total wealth.
Zoom out: The super rich have more access to higher-returning private equity and hedge funds; and have been able to invest in private companies, especially the big AI hyperscalers.
- They've also seen disproportionately higher returns from the stock market, the report finds.
- These folks have the "ability to get early entries that even the next-door millionaires can't get," says Luca Russignan, global head of Capgemini Research Institute for Financial Services.
The big picture: The AI boom was the main driver overall for rich people wealth last year, he says.
Between the lines: The general public may soon get access to those same assets, particularly through mega-IPOs later this year, but likely won't see the same kind of returns that early-stage investors get.
By the numbers: Overall, globally, the wealth of high net worth individuals rose 8.7% in 2025 — hitting a record $98.3 trillion.
- The number of these rich folks increased by about 2 million, to 25.3 million
- The U.S. added 736,000 new millionaires last year, more than any other market globally.
The bottom line: More regular folks are investing in the stock market and other financial assets, but the benefits of doing so vary widely.
