The UAE has ranked 15th in the world for its number of billionaires, according to a report by Altrata. The country was home to a growing number of ultra-wealthy individuals in 2025, supported by its strong business environment, economic diversification and growing investment opportunities.
Saudi Arabia ranked ahead of the UAE, with 59 billionaires who together had a total wealth of around $175 billion.
Globally, there were 3,795 billionaires in 2025. The UAE’s billionaire population made up about 1.4% of the global total. Their combined wealth accounted for around 1.3% of the total billionaire wealth worldwide, which stood at $15.1 trillion.
Dubai Among Top Billionaire Cities
Dubai has also emerged as one of the world’s leading cities for billionaires.
The city ranked joint eighth globally, alongside Shenzhen, with 43 billionaires living in Dubai in 2025. This was two more than the previous year.
Dubai ranked behind New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco, London, Singapore, Los Angeles and Beijing.
According to Altrata, major cities continue to attract wealthy people because they offer strong business networks, financial services, investment opportunities and luxury lifestyles.
Dubai has become an important global wealth centre because of its growing economy and international business connections.
UAE Moves Beyond Oil
The UAE’s growing billionaire population comes as the country continues to reduce its dependence on oil.
Across the Middle East, the number of billionaires increased by 5% in 2025 to 254 people. Altrata said economic diversification and large government infrastructure projects helped bring more investment and create new wealth, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
However, the total wealth of Middle Eastern billionaires fell by 4% to $700 billion during the year. Lower energy prices and weaker regional stock markets affected billionaire wealth.
Oil prices ended 2025 nearly 20% lower, marking their biggest annual fall since 2020.
Billionaires Increase Worldwide
The number of billionaires around the world reached a record 3,795 in 2025. This was an increase of 8.2% from the previous year and the strongest growth in five years.
Their combined wealth rose by 12.8% to $15.1 trillion.
The United States remained the largest home for billionaires, with 1,265 people. China followed with 363 billionaires, while Germany had 221.
The 15 countries with the highest number of billionaires together accounted for 83% of total billionaire wealth worldwide.
AI Creates More Wealth
Artificial intelligence is also playing a growing role in creating billionaire wealth.
Altrata found that among 150 listed companies that contributed significantly to billionaire wealth, companies that made major investments in AI recorded 23% higher market value growth than companies that did not make similar investments during 2024 and 2025.
This shows how quickly AI is becoming important to businesses and investors.
Wealth Concentrated Among Top Billionaires
The world’s richest billionaires are holding an increasing share of total billionaire wealth.
In 2025, the 29 billionaires whose fortunes exceeded $50 billion together controlled around $4.1 trillion. This represented 27% of all billionaire wealth, compared with just 7.2% in 2017.
Most billionaire wealth is also linked to business ownership rather than cash. Around 73% of the average billionaire’s wealth is held in shares or ownership stakes in public and private companies.
Only about one-quarter of their wealth is held in liquid assets.
The report also highlighted the growing international movement of wealthy individuals. Around one in five billionaires was born in a different country from the one where they currently live and run their main businesses.
Overall, the report shows the UAE and Dubai becoming increasingly important centres for global wealth, supported by economic diversification, international investment, business opportunities and strong links to global markets.
