United States
Visualizing the Wealth of Nations
Visualizing the Wealth of Nations
Just as there exists a longstanding inequality in the distribution of household wealth, so exists a considerable differential in the amount of wealth held by countries on the international stage.
Simply put, some nations are “haves”, while many others are “have-nots”.
“Wherever there is great property, there is great inequality.”
– Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
Ranking Riches
We previously showed you how the ranking of the richest countries in the world has changed over the course of the last 10 years (2008-2018).
Today’s chart keys on a slightly different question.
What are the wealthiest nations today, both in absolute and per capita terms, and how is this list projected to change over the next decade? Let’s see how the wealth of nations stack up.
Private Wealth: Now and in the Future
Using data from the Global Wealth Migration Review, here are the 10 wealthiest nations both now and as forecasted in 2028.
Rank | Country | Wealth (2018) | Wealth (2028F) | Approx. Growth |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇺🇸 United States | $60.7 trillion | $72.8 trillion | 20% |
#2 | 🇨🇳 China | $23.6 trillion | $51.8 trillion | 120% |
#3 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $19.1 trillion | $24.9 trillion | 30% |
#4 | 🇮🇳 India | $8.1 trillion | $22.8 trillion | 180% |
#5 | 🇦🇺 Australia | $6.0 trillion | $10.8 trillion | 80% |
#6 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $9.1 trillion | $10.0 trillion | 10% |
#7 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $8.8 trillion | $9.7 trillion | 10% |
#8 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $6.0 trillion | $7.8 trillion | 30% |
#9 | 🇫🇷 France | $5.9 trillion | $6.4 trillion | 10% |
#10 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $3.8 trillion | $4.2 trillion | 10% |
It’s worth noting that these figures are meant to represent wealth, which is defined as the total amount of private wealth held by individuals in each country. It includes assets like property, cash, equities, and business interests, minus any liabilities.
China has been the best performing wealth market in the last decade, and these projections show the country as continuing on that track. In fact, both China and India are expected to see triple-digit growth in private wealth between now and 2028.
As far as developed countries go, it’s not surprising that growth rates are much more modest. In Europe, countries like Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy are only expected to add 10% to private wealth in 10 years, while Canada (30%) and the U.S. (20%) do marginally better.
One notable exception here is Australia, which is expected to add 80% to private wealth over the timeframe – and it will leapfrog both Germany and the U.K. in the rankings in the process.
Wealth per Capita
Here’s a look at the wealth of nations in a different way, this time with numbers adjusted on a per capita basis.
Rank | Country | Est. Population | Wealth per capita (2018) |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇲🇨 Monaco | 38,695 | $2,114,000 |
#2 | 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 37,810 | $786,000 |
#3 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 8,420,000 | $315,000 |
#4 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 590,667 | $300,000 |
#5 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 24,600,000 | $244,000 |
#6 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 5,258,000 | $198,000 |
#7 | 🇺🇸 United States | 327,200,000 | $186,000 |
#8 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 5,612,000 | $177,000 |
#9 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 7,392,000 | $169,000 |
#10 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 36,540,000 | $163,000 |
When using per capita numbers, it’s absolutely no contest.
Monaco, the city-state on the French Riviera, is a money magnet with $2.1 million of private wealth per citizen. This means the average Monacan is at least 10 times richer than the average North American or European.
Liechtenstein, a microstate that sits in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria, also has a high average wealth of $786,000 per person. Like Monaco, its population is well under 50,000 people.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that three countries on the per capita list also made the overall list. Put another way, the countries of Australia, Canada, and the United States can all claim to be among the wealthiest of nations in both absolute and per capita terms.
Central Banks
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

The Briefing
- Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
- After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.
Methodology and Results
The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.
Year | Fed chair | % Great deal or Fair amount |
---|---|---|
2023 | Jerome Powell | 36% |
2022 | Jerome Powell | 43% |
2021 | Jerome Powell | 55% |
2020 | Jerome Powell | 58% |
2019 | Jerome Powell | 50% |
2018 | Jerome Powell | 45% |
2017 | Janet Yellen | 45% |
2016 | Janet Yellen | 38% |
2015 | Janet Yellen | 42% |
2014 | Janet Yellen | 37% |
2013 | Ben Bernanke | 42% |
2012 | Ben Bernanke | 39% |
2011 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2010 | Ben Bernanke | 44% |
2009 | Ben Bernanke | 49% |
2008 | Ben Bernanke | 47% |
2007 | Ben Bernanke | 50% |
2006 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2005 | Alan Greenspan | 56% |
2004 | Alan Greenspan | 61% |
2003 | Alan Greenspan | 65% |
2002 | Alan Greenspan | 69% |
2001 | Alan Greenspan | 74% |
Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”
We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.
For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.
On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.
Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.
Confidence Now on the Decline
After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.
This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:
- Negative impact on the stock market
- Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
- Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable
Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Gallup (2023)
Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.
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