Hong Kong ranked second globally in the 2026 Billionaire Census, with 106 billionaires, while New York retained the top spot with 164. Japan did not make the top 15, highlighting its limited presence, according to the findings.
According to the 2026 edition of the Billionaire Census, the global billionaire population stood at 3,795 at the end of 2025, up 8.2% year on year, while total assets rose 12.8% to US$15.1 trillion. By city, New York ranked first with 164 billionaires, followed by Hong Kong with 106.
One distinctive feature of Hong Kong is that approximately 64% of its billionaires were born outside Hong Kong, with many having transferred assets from mainland China and other countries. Hong Kong continues to maintain its position as a leading financial and wealth-management hub in Asia.
By contrast, no Japanese city made the top 15, and Japan also had limited presence in the country rankings. Some observers point out that wealthy Japanese individuals tend to have asset structures rooted in the domestic market, with relatively little international asset movement.
The AI investment boom is driving the expansion of billionaire wealth worldwide. Companies that actively invested in AI-related businesses outperformed other companies by 23% in stock market capitalization growth from 2024 to 2025. As of 2025, 29 billionaires held assets of at least US$5 billion, with combined assets of US$4.1 trillion, accounting for 27% of the total.
Against a backdrop of international asset inflows, Hong Kong is demonstrating its presence through the size and international character of its billionaire population, while Japan is falling relatively behind in the global trend toward wealth creation.