Canada has been ranked the 13th richest country in the world, according to the 2026 Global Wealth Report released by Swiss bank UBS.
The report shows that global personal wealth rose sharply in 2025, increasing by more than 10 per cent. UBS described this as the fastest pace of wealth growth seen in several years.
Global Wealth Grew Rapidly in 2025
According to UBS, 2025 was a strong year for global wealth creation.
Personal wealth increased by over 10 per cent, helped by gains across several major regions and markets.
The report identifies North America as the world’s richest region, largely because of the strength of the United States.
Switzerland and the U.S. Lead the Wealth Rankings
Switzerland ranked as the richest country in the world, with average wealth per adult reaching US$910,382, or about $1.2 million.
The United States ranked second globally, with average wealth per adult of US$696,277, equal to roughly $988,000 in 2025.
Canada placed 13th, with average wealth per adult of about $567,000.
Canada’s Wealth and Financial Assets
The report also looked at how much personal wealth is held in financial assets.
Financial assets made up the largest share of wealth in Israel, Taiwan and the United States, with figures of 82.1 per cent, 80.8 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.
In Canada, financial assets accounted for 66.2 per cent of wealth.
Canada Ranks High for Debt Share
When measuring debt as a share of gross wealth, Canada ranked fifth, with debt equal to 18.2 per cent of gross wealth.
Brazil had the highest debt share at 23.4 per cent.
Mexico had the lowest debt share in the report, at 5.2 per cent.
Millionaire Population Continues to Grow
UBS said the number of U.S. dollar millionaires worldwide has been rising for several years.
In 2025, the global millionaire population grew by 1.5 per cent.
While that percentage may sound modest, UBS said it represents nearly one million new millionaires in one year, or more than 2,680 new millionaires per day.
Eastern Europe Sees Fast Millionaire Growth
The fastest growth rates in U.S. dollar millionaires were recorded in Eastern Europe.
Lithuania led the list with an 8 per cent year-over-year increase.
It was followed by Türkiye, Latvia and Hungary, all of which recorded millionaire growth above 5 per cent.
UBS said none of the 56 markets included in its sample ended 2025 with fewer millionaires than at the start of the year.
United States Created Over 440,000 New Millionaires
North America holds the largest share of U.S. dollar millionaires globally, mainly because of the United States.
The U.S. added more than 440,000 new millionaires in 2025. That was a 1.9 per cent increase from 2024, equal to more than 1,200 new millionaires per day.
The United Kingdom added more than 43,000 new U.S. dollar millionaires.
France, Spain, Japan and India each added more than 30,000 new millionaires.
Canada did not appear on the list for millionaire growth.
Billionaire Population Also Increased
UBS counted 3,302 U.S. dollar billionaires globally this year.
That was an increase of 383 people, or almost 13.1 per cent, in 2025.
More than 1,000 billionaires live in the United States.
Mainland China has 562 billionaires, while India has 211.
Germany follows with 193, and Russia has 122.
How Global Wealth Is Distributed
The UBS report also examined wealth distribution among adults worldwide.
Slightly more than 15 per cent of the global adult population owns net assets worth between US$100,000 and US$1 million.
Just over 41 per cent of adults own between US$10,000 and US$100,000.
A nearly equal share owns less than US$10,000.
Only 1.5 per cent of the world’s adult population owns net assets above US$1 million.
More Adults Moving Into Higher Wealth Brackets
UBS said most adults in its sample are still in the wealth bracket of up to US$10,000, but only narrowly.
The next bracket, between US$10,000 and US$100,000, has nearly reached the same level and could overtake it if current trends continue.
This suggests that global wealth distribution may be slowly shifting upward, though large gaps remain.
Canada’s Adult Wealth Share
In Canada, about 55 per cent of the adult population holds assets above US$100,000.
Luxembourg had the highest share, with more than 70 per cent of adults holding assets above that level.
Germany ranked lowest among the listed countries, with about 45 per cent of adults above the US$100,000 asset threshold.
The 2026 UBS Global Wealth Report ranks Canada as the 13th richest country in the world, with average wealth per adult of about $567,000. The report shows that global wealth grew by more than 10 per cent in 2025, while the number of millionaires and billionaires continued to rise worldwide.
North America remains the richest region, driven largely by the United States, which added more than 440,000 new millionaires in one year. Canada also stands out for its high share of financial assets and its relatively high debt-to-wealth ratio. While Canada did not appear among the fastest-growing millionaire markets, more than half of Canadian adults hold assets above US$100,000.
