The United States holds the largest share of personal wealth among major economies, but European countries perform more strongly when wealth is measured by the typical adult rather than the average.
The findings come from the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026, which examines 56 markets representing more than 92% of global wealth. The US accounts for 38.1% of personal wealth covered by the report, compared with 21.9% for Western Europe and 3.3% for Eastern Europe.
Switzerland topped the global ranking for average wealth per adult at the end of 2025, with €777,506. The US ranked second at €594,651, while Luxembourg was the wealthiest European Union country, with an average of €559,170 per adult.
Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore also recorded average wealth above €450,000. Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands completed the European representation in the top 10.
Belgium and Sweden also recorded average wealth above €300,000 per adult.
Among Europe’s five largest economies, Germany ranked highest at 14th, with average wealth of €296,023 per adult. France followed with €291,536, Spain with €261,689, the UK with €250,071 and Italy with €238,653.
Ireland recorded €268,312, while Austria, Finland, Portugal, Malta and Greece also appeared among the global top 30.
The rankings changed sharply when wealth was measured by the median, which represents the middle adult in a wealth distribution.
Luxembourg remained at the top, with median wealth of €336,498, followed by Belgium at €236,712. Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong also remained among the top 10, while Denmark, Switzerland and Norway were the other European countries in the group.
Italy performed particularly strongly, recording median wealth of €111,881 and ranking 11th globally. The UK recorded €107,042, France €104,106 and Spain €95,290.
Germany, however, fell to the bottom of the global ranking, with median wealth of €45,679. The US also dropped sharply to third from last, with median wealth of €58,927 despite ranking second for average wealth.
The difference suggests that wealth is more heavily concentrated among the richest households in the US and some other economies. Germany, Sweden and Singapore also ranked significantly lower for median wealth than for average wealth.
Japan climbed 14 places when median wealth was used, while Italy, Malta, Belgium and the UK also performed better on the measure.
The report noted that median wealth can provide a clearer picture of the financial position of the middle of a population. Regional differences remain substantial, with average wealth per adult at €594,651 in the US, compared with €287,884 in Western Europe and €53,055 in Eastern Europe.
