Luxury Lens: Where will the next wave of wealth come from? August 7, 2026

Wealth creation doesn’t stand still. As new fortunes are made, where that wealth resides also changes. Two recent reports offer a snapshot of the globe’s most affluent locations today—and where they could be in the future.

North America currently hosts the greatest store of global wealth, with high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) accumulating a total of US$32.9TN by the end of 2025, according to the World Wealth Report 2026, published by Capgemini, June 4, 2026.

Map illustrating the current global distribution of high-net-worth wealth. US$20.5trillion in Europe, US$32.9 trillion in North America, US$9.6 trillion in Latin America, US$2.1 trillion in Africa, US$3.5 trillion in the Middle East, and US$29.7 trillion in Asia Pacific.

That’s up 9.9% on 2024. However, Asia Pacific saw the fastest wealth acceleration between 2024 and 2025, according to the research, with 10.5% growth resulting in the region’s HNWIs holding US$29.7TN in 2025.

Meanwhile, 2026 Global Wealth Report: The Great Reordering, published by Boston Consulting Group, May 27, 2026, focused solely on emerging market wealth.

It predicts that financial wealth will increase by US$6.89TN across emerging markets between 2025 and 2030. India is set to lead this charge, according to the report, generating US$2.37TN in new financial wealth by 2030. It is followed by Brazil (US$1.08TN), and Mexico (US$0.55TN).

Bar chart displaying the predicted wealth increase in emerging markets, totaling US$6.89 trillion. India: US$2.37 trillion, Brazil: US$1.08 trillion, Mexico: US$0.55 trillion, Saudi Arabia: US$0.29 trillion, Turkiye: US$0.27 trillion, Malaysia: US$0.25 trillion, South Africa: US$0.22 trillion, Chile: US$0.19 trillion, Qatar: US$0.17 trillion, Indonesia: US$0.16 trillion, other emerging markets: US$1.35 trillion.

“The affluent remain engaged and confident in the luxury housing market,” says Philip A. White Jr., president and CEO, Sotheby’s International Realty, in the company’s 2026 Mid-Year Luxury Outlook report.

Cover Property: Greece Sotheby’s International Realty