Main
News
Economy
Over the next five years, the number of billionaires worldwide could rise by 25% — The Guardian

Over the next five years, the number of billionaires worldwide could rise by 25% — The Guardian

24 April 2026, 19:00

Over the next five years, the number of billionaires worldwide could rise by 25% — The Guardian — Millionaires

By 2031, the number of billionaires worldwide could reach 3,915. The world’s wealthiest individuals are accumulating wealth at an accelerated pace thanks to technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence.

The Guardian reports this, citing a study by the property agency Knight Frank.

According to Knight Frank’s analysis, there are currently 3,110 billionaires in the world. It is predicted that over the next five years this number will rise by 25% to reach 3,915.

The ranks of multimillionaires are also growing rapidly, with the number of people worldwide with a net worth of at least $30 million rising from 162,191 in 2021 to 713,626 today.

The agency’s head of research, Liam Bailey, said that the wealth of billionaires and millionaires had been ‘exaggerated’ thanks to profits from the tech sector, particularly artificial intelligence.

“The ability to scale a business has never been greater. This has facilitated the ability to amass great wealth quickly, thanks to technology and artificial intelligence,” he said.

The Guardian also notes that this is happening against a backdrop of a growing gap between the world’s richest and poorest.

The number of billionaires is expected to grow fastest in oil-rich Saudi Arabia — it will more than double from 23 in 2026 to 65 in 2031. In addition, the number of billionaires will rise in Poland — from 13 to 29 — and in Sweden — from 32 to 58.

The charity Oxfam has reported that the combined wealth of billionaires currently stands at $18.3 trillion.

Economy

"Ukrnafta" is to build a new gas-fired combined heat and power plant with the support of the EBRD

"Ukrnafta", in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is preparing to build a modern combined-cycle gas-fired combined heat and power plant with a capacity of around 250 MW.