Visualizing the Distribution of Household Wealth, By Country
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Visualizing the Distribution of Household Wealth, By Country

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Visualizing the Distribution of Household Wealth, By Country

A majority of the world’s wealth is concentrated in just a few countries. In fact, almost a third of household wealth is held by Americans, while China’s population accounts for nearly a fifth.

Using data from Credit Suisse, this graphic by Eleonora Nazander shows the distribution of household wealth worldwide, highlighting the wealth gap that exists across regions.

Top 10 Wealthiest Countries

To help simplify things, this graphic shows how much household wealth each country would have if the world only had $100.

As the graphic illustrates, the top 10 wealthiest countries would hold an estimated $77, or 77% of global household wealth. Here’s a breakdown of what their cut of $100 would be:

CountryTotal Wealth ($B)Share of $100
🇺🇸 United States$105,990$29.40
🇨🇳 China$63,827$17.71
🇯🇵 Japan$24,992$6.93
🇩🇪 Germany$14,660$4.07
🇬🇧 United Kingdom$14,341$3.98
🇫🇷 France$13,729$3.81
🇮🇳 India$12,614$3.50
🇮🇹 Italy$11,358$3.15
🇨🇦 Canada$8,573$2.38
🇪🇸 Spain$7,772$2.16
Total$278 Trillion$77.09

The U.S. comes in first place, holding $29.40, or almost a third of total wealth, while China comes in second, accounting for $17.71.

This makes sense considering the high concentration of ultra-wealthy individuals in both countries—China and the U.S. are home to more than half of the world’s billionaires, and eight of the 10 richest people on the planet are Americans, including the world’s richest, Elon Musk.

Japan ranks third on the list, accounting for $6.93. Like the U.S. and China, Japan also has a high portion of ultra-high net worth citizens, or individuals with a net worth of $30 million or more.

Interestingly, India ranks seventh on the list, despite having the third-highest number of billionaires worldwide and a massive population of 1.4 billion. One contributing factor to this could be the country’s relatively high levels of poverty.

Wealth Inequality

It’s important to note that, while the U.S. and China hold a majority of the world’s wealth, both countries still struggle with wealth inequality.

Currently, the top 1% of U.S. households hold 31.7% of the country’s household wealth. And while China has made progress on poverty in the last decade through rapid economic growth, the wealth gap between the country’s rich and poor has widened in recent years.

Governments in both countries have announced plans to tackle wealth inequality. For instance, the Biden administration is working to pass legislation that would increase taxes on businesses and wealthy Americans. Meanwhile, the Chinese government announced its five-year plan to crack down on private enterprise, in an attempt to break up monopolies and ultimately achieve “common prosperity.”

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Commodities

Charted: Gold’s Annual Returns (2000-2025)

Gold has delivered a 1,075% return from 2000 to 2025. See the best and worst years for gold prices in this chart.

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This infographic shows gold's annual returns for every year from 2000 to 2025, highlighting how gold has performed over two decades.

Visualized: Gold’s Annual Returns from 2000 to 2025 YTD

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Gold prices are up 1,075% from 2000 to 2025 (YTD as of July 3)
  • On average, gold has delivered a 10.9% annual return over 25 years
  • 2025 is one of gold’s best years in terms of returns, up 27% as of July 3, 2025

Over the last 25 years, gold has been a relatively stable asset class for investors looking for diversification, a hedge against inflation, or a safe haven in uncertain times.

From 2000 to 2025, the precious metal has delivered a staggering 1,075% return for patient investors.

This chart shows the annual returns of gold from 2000 through 2025 (YTD as of July 3), based on data from TradingView.

Gold Shines When It Rains

On average across the 25 years, gold’s price has increased by 10.9% annually, although it has seen some volatility.

Here’s how gold has performed every year from 2000 to 2025:

YearGold Annual Returns
2000-5.4%
20012.4%
200224.8%
200319.5%
20045.4%
200517.5%
200623.5%
200731.0%
20085.6%
200924.6%
201029.6%
201110.1%
20127.1%
2013-28.0%
2014-1.8%
2015-10.4%
20168.4%
201713.2%
2018-1.6%
201918.3%
202025.1%
2021-3.6%
2022-0.4%
202313.2%
202427.2%
2025 YTD27.0%

Periods of global crisis—such as the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, or inflation spikes—have typically seen investors flock to gold, pushing up returns.

Gold’s best years include 2007 (+31%) and 2010 (+29.6%), leading up to and following the Global Financial Crisis. It also delivered stellar returns of 25% in 2020, and has shone brightly among other asset classes over the last two years, with gold prices up around 27% in 2024 and 2025 (YTD as of July 3).

On the other hand, gold’s biggest drawdown was in 2013, when prices dropped by 28% from historical highs. However, this was following a decade of consistent positive returns from 2001 to 2012.

Will Gold Continue to Shine?

Amid the ongoing global economic slowdown, trade uncertainty, and mounting risks of a recession, gold has been one of the best-performing major asset classes so far in 2025.

Following two consecutive years of strong performance, returns may be subdued in 2026. However, with major central banks—including those of China, India, and Russia—continuing to accumulate gold, the precious metal’s role as a long-term store of value appears far from over.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

See how gold’s performance since 2020 compares to other asset classes in this infographic on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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