UBS’s 2026 report puts Switzerland on top for average wealth per adult and Luxembourg on top for median. Germany finishes 14th on one list and dead last on the other.
Personal wealth is spread very unevenly around the world, and the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026 shows just how unevenly.
The report covers 56 countries holding more than 92% of global wealth. Of that total, 38.1% sits in the US. Western Europe accounts for 21.9%, Eastern Europe for just 3.3%.
Europe is well represented further down the detail: 18 of the global top 30 for average wealth per adult are European countries, rising to 19 on the median list.
The average wealth table
As of the end of 2025, Switzerland tops the global top 30 with an average of €777,506 per adult. The US is second at €594,651 (or $696,277). Luxembourg, at €559,170, is the highest-ranked EU country.
Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore all clear €450,000. Denmark (€446,959), Norway (€363,303) and the Netherlands (€354,673) round out the European presence in the top 10, with Belgium (€348,382) and Sweden (€347,089) both above €300,000.
Europe’s big five sit close together
All five of Europe’s largest economies make the list, and the spread between them is narrower than you might expect. Germany ranks highest at 14th with €296,023, followed by France (€291,536), Spain (€261,689), the UK (€250,071) and Italy at 23rd with €238,653.
Ireland (€268,312), Austria (€239,123), Finland (€178,610), Portugal (€167,188), Malta (€139,769) and Greece (€122,421) also appear in the top 30.
Switch to median and everything moves
The median is the middle figure in a sorted list, and using it reorders the table dramatically. As the report puts it, each market has a different distribution of wealth, so a country can look rich or poor depending on which slice of the adult population you examine.
Luxembourg leads on median wealth at €336,498, less than half the top average figure. Belgium is second, though the number drops to €236,712. Australia (€180,018), New Zealand (€176,460) and Hong Kong (€160,533) hold their top-10 places from the average list, joined by Denmark (€174,029), Switzerland (€124,310) and Norway (€119,569).
Among Europe’s five biggest economies the order flips entirely. Italy comes out highest at €111,881, 11th globally. Germany comes out lowest at €45,679, last in the whole ranking. The UK (€107,042), France (€104,106) and Spain (€95,290) cluster nearer Italy, which leaves the German figure looking conspicuous.
One other change between the two lists: Slovenia takes the UAE’s place in the median ranking.
Where the money is concentrated at the top
The US falls from second on average wealth to third from bottom on median, at €58,927. That is the steepest drop on the list by a distance. Germany slides 16 places, from 14th to 30th, and Sweden and Singapore each lose more than 10 places.
A gap that large between average and median points the same way in every case: extreme wealth piled up at the very top.
The movement goes the other way too. Japan climbs 14 places, from 24th to 10th, and Malta, Italy, Belgium and the UK all rank considerably higher on median than on average, which suggests a wider and more evenly spread middle class.
The report notes that median wealth gives a more accurate read on what people in the middle actually hold. One caveat worth keeping in mind: none of these figures say anything about purchasing power.
By region, the US still comes out with the highest average wealth per adult, Europe included.
