What Is an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual (UHNWI)? (2024)

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Eric Rosenberg

Eric Rosenberg is a financial writer with more than a decade of experience working in banking and corporate accounting. He specializes in writing about cryptocurrencies, investing and banking among other personal finance topics. Eric has an MBA in finance from the University of Denver.

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Updated on October 28, 2022

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Margaret James

Reviewed byMargaret James

Peggy James is an expert in accounting, corporate finance, and personal finance. She is a certified public accountant who owns her own accounting firm, where she serves small businesses, nonprofits, solopreneurs, freelancers, and individuals.

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In This Article

Being an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual
Examples of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals
UHNWI vs. Average Person
High-Net-Worth vs. Ultra-High-Net-Worth
What It Means for Individual Investors
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Key Takeaways

An ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI) is someone with a net worth of at least $30 million.
In 2021, there were more than 600,000 ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide.
Ultra-high-net-worth individuals have access to investments not available to the everyday retail investor.

How It Works Being an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual

“Ultra-high-net-worth individual” (UHNWI) is a term for a person with a net worth above $30 million. This may include a combination of many assets such as cash, stocks, bonds, investment funds, and other investable and liquid assets.

Ultra-high-net-worth individuals may be self-made through business or investments, or they may interhit their wealth from a family member.

Some firms track how many individuals there are with over $50 million in net worth. In 2021, there were more than 140,000 people in the U.S. with that net worth (or more), according to a report from financial services company Credit Suisse.

Note

In 2021, the U.S. had 140,000 UHNWI with $50 million or more in assets. China came in second with 32,710, according to Credit Suisse.

Examples of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals

Because of the threshold to qualify as an ultra-high-net-worth individual, all well-known billionaires qualify. This includes Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Steve Ballmer, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Larry Page.

The list above is made up of individuals who earned their billionaire status by founding successful companies. Many of the world’s wealthiest families earned their billions from founding large, successful companies. Others join the list through successful investments.

Owning businesses and real estate are common threads among the ultra-wealthy. Some also achieve ultra-high-net-worth status through an investment strategy involving the stock market or early investments in growing companies.

According to data from global real estate consulting firm Knight Frank, there were 610,569 ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide in 2021. According to Forbes, these are some of the richest people in the world who are among the 600,000 UHNWIs.

Individual	Net Worth (October 2022)	Source(s) of Wealth
Elon Musk	$219 billion	Tesla, Space X
Jeff Bezos	$171 billion	Amazon
Bernard Arnault & Family	$158 billion	LVMH
Bill Gates	$129 billion	Microsoft
Warren Buffett	$118 billion	Berkshire Hathaway
Larry Page	$111 billion	Google
Sergey Brin	$107 billion	Google
Larry Ellison	$106 billion	Oracle

Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual vs. Average Person

United States Census Bureau data indicates that the average household has a net worth of $46,870, excluding home equity. That means ultra-high-net-worth individuals have at least 640 times more net worth than the average household.

The people with the top 0.1% of wealth in the U.S. have the majority of their assets in corporate equities and mutual fund shares, and private companies. The bottom 50% generate their wealth from real estate and consumer durable goods.

High-Net-Worth vs. Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals

While ultra-high-net-worth individuals have net worths of $30+ million, there are plenty of other individuals who qualify as wealthy. Many financial institutions consider anyone with a net worth of $1 million or higher to be a high-net-worth individual.

Net Worth Category	Minimum Net Worth
High-Net-Worth Individual	$1 million
Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual	$30 million

Note

Once someone has a net worth of $1 million, they’re considered high net worth. You need at least 30 times that to get the “ultra-high” addition.

What It Means for Individual Investors

With a median net worth of around $47,000 (without home equity), the typical U.S. household can’t invest like ultra-high-net-worth investors. Investors with tens of millions of dollars have access to a suite of investments that most others can’t access.

For example, many investments and investment products considered risky by government regulators require you to be an accredited investor to participate. Accredited investors are individuals with at least $1 million in net worth, excluding their primary residence, or an annual income of at least $200,000 for at least two years. Some investment professionals may qualify as well.

Examples of investments for ultra-high-net-worth individuals that most households can’t utilize include hedge funds, pre-IPO investing in private companies, land, commercial real estate, and expensive artwork.

If you’re an investor who does not have a high net worth, you can work with a financial planner to put a strategy together for how you could potentially reach the status of a high-net-worth individual. Becoming an ultra-high-net-worth individual may be much harder to achieve if you’re starting out with a low net worth. Consider your options for investing, starting a business, saving, and more so that despite your net worth, you’re financially stable over the course of your life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much money do you need to be an ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI)?

According to typical banking and finance definitions, an ultra-high-net-worth individual has $30 million or more in investable and liquid assets. That includes cash, stocks, and other investment holdings.

How many ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) are there in the world?

In 2021, there were more than 600,00 ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI), an increase of 9.3% from 2020. The largest regions for these households are North America, Asia, and Europe.

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Sources

The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Knight Frank. “The Wealth Report: Knight Frank Wealth Sizing Model Reveals Pandemic Impact.”
Credit Suisse. “Why Wealth Matters. The Global Wealth Report.”
Forbes. “World’s Billionaires List.”
U.S. Census Bureau. “Wealth, Asset Ownership, & Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2020.” Download “Wealth and Asset Ownership.”
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. “DFA: Distributional Financial Accounts.”
Vanguard. “Investing With Vanguard Flagship Services.”
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Accredited Investor.”

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Sure, I'd love to delve into the concepts within the article on "BudgetingByEric." The article discusses the distinction between high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI), their characteristics, and the financial implications associated with these classifications.

The main points revolve around:

Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWI): Individuals with a net worth of $30 million or more. This wealth consists of investable and liquid assets, including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments.
Examples of UHNWIs: Notable figures like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and others. Their wealth often stems from founding successful companies, making astute investments, or inheriting family wealth.
Comparison with Average and High-Net-Worth Individuals: The contrast between the average household's net worth (around $47,000, excluding home equity) and the massive wealth of UHNWIs, highlighting the vast disparity.
Investment Opportunities and Access: UHNWIs have access to exclusive investment vehicles like hedge funds, pre-IPO investments, real estate, and fine art, which are generally not available to the average investor or even high-net-worth individuals.
Financial Implications for Investors: The article emphasizes how UHNWIs' investment options differ significantly from those with lower net worth. Accredited investor status, requiring $1 million in net worth or $200,000 in annual income, is a gateway to certain investment opportunities.
Strategies for Aspiring High-Net-Worth Individuals: Suggestions on how individuals with lower net worth can work with financial planners to create strategies for potential wealth accumulation, focusing on investing, entrepreneurship, and savings.

These concepts shed light on the disparities in wealth distribution, the exclusivity of certain investment opportunities, and the paths individuals might consider for financial growth.

It's fascinating how these distinctions impact the investment landscape, offering insights into the stratified nature of wealth and investment access.