Knight Frank’s flagship The Wealth Report 2025 forecasts an increase of 9.4% in India’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) — those with assets exceeding US$ 10 million. The HNWI population is estimated at 85,698 in 2024 which is expected to rise to 93,753 by 2028, reflecting India’s expanding wealth landscape. This rise highlights the country’s strong long-term economic growth, increasing investment opportunities, and evolving luxury market, positioning India as a key player in global wealth creation. In 2024, the number of Indian HNWIs increased by 6% year-on-year (YoY) to 85,698 from 80,686 in 2023. India is home to 3.7% of the wealthy individuals globally and currently stands at 4th position after US (905,413 HNWIs), China (471,634 HNWIs) and Japan (122,119 HNWIs).
The number of HNWIs globally rose by 4.4% YoY in 2024 to 2,341,378 from 2,243,300 a year earlier. While North America leads in HNWI numbers this year, growth was recorded across all world regions. Asia saw the second highest increase at 5%, followed by Africa at 4.7%. Australasia at 3.9%, the Middle East at 2.7%, Latin America at 1.5% and Europe at 1.4% YoY growth. At the US$ 10+ million level, the US is home to almost 39% of all wealthy individuals globally, nearly twice the level of China.
The country’s billionaire population has seen a strong year -on-year growth of 12% in 2024 over the previous year. India is now home to 191 billionaires of which 26 joined the ranks in just the last year which was pegged at just 7 in 2019. The combined wealth of Indian billionaires is estimated at US$ 950 billion, ranking the country third globally, behind the U.S. (US$ 5.7 trn) and Mainland China (US$ 1.34 trn).
The report notes that the billionaire landscape is now more global, with new hubs emerging outside the traditional powerhouses. Manufacturing has produced more new billionaires than tech over the past 10 years. Half are in China, reflecting the nation’s industrial strength. Despite recent challenges, China also leads in the creation of new tech billionaires over the same period. The age gap between new billionaires and the overall list has widened from two years in 2014 to six today, peaking at nine years in 2020 amid an IPO boom. Tomorrow’s billionaires may skew younger. Similarly in 2024, over 82% of new billionaires were male, down from 90% four years ago. Of the billionaires under 30, nearly 47% were female last year, potentially pointing the way to a more balanced future.
Read More: India Adds 26 Billionaires in a Year, Ranks 3rd in Global Billionaire Wealth