According to the The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014, 155 new billionaires were minted in 2014
Global Billionaire Population Reaches 2,325 Individuals
Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.
PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.
In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”
The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris
According to the The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014, 155 new billionaires were minted in 2014
According to the The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014, 155 new billionaires were minted in 2014
The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014, released today, shows that 155 new billionaires were minted this year, pushing the global population to a record 2,325 – a 7% rise from 2013.
The combined wealth of the world’s billionaires increased by 12% to US$7.3 trillion, which is higher than the combined market capitalisation of all the companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
The Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014 – the only comprehensive, global study on the composition and dynamics of this top tier of the global ultra high net worth (UHNW) population – shows that Europe, with 775 billionaires, is the region with the most billionaires and billionaire wealth (US$2.37 trillion).
North America – the region with the most billionaire wealth in 2013 – was overtaken by Europe in terms of billionaire wealth in this year’s census.
“ Europe, with 775 billionaires, is the region with the most billionaires and billionaire wealth ”
Asia, however, boasted the largest billionaire wealth increase, with the region’s billionaires’ fortunes growing by 18.7% over the past year. The region is responsible for 30% of the net increase in global billionaire wealth in 2014. Asia’s billionaire population grew by 10% in 2014, with 52 new entrants into the billionaire club – 33 are from China.
The United States maintains its position as the world’s top billionaire country with a population of 571 billionaires in 2014, followed by China (190) and the United Kingdom (130), which took the third spot from Germany (123) on the Top 40 Billionaire Countries/Territories list.
Key Findings:
• Europe is home to more than a third of the world’s billionaire population.
• Latin America and the Caribbean is the region that saw the most significant growth in terms of the size of its billionaire population (37.8%) in 2014, but Asia saw the fastest growth in billionaire wealth (18.7%).
• The billionaire population in the Middle East shrank by 1.9%, but total billionaire wealth in the region rose by 16.7%.
• The size of Africa’s billionaire population decreased by 4.8%, but the region’s billionaire wealth increased by 12.9%.
• There was no change in the billionaire population in the Pacific (34 billionaires), but the region’s total billionaire wealth dropped by 2%.
“ Asia boasted the largest billionaire wealth increase, growing by 18.7% ”
Fast Facts
• Nearly 35% of the world’s billionaires are concentrated in 20 cities. Billionaires are transnational. They move from city to city, rather than from country to country.
• Only 5% of the world’s billionaires are worth more than US$10 billion.
• The average billionaire‘s wealth rose by 4.4% this year to just over US$3.1 billion.
• The average age of the typical billionaire is 63, one year older than it was in 2013.
• There are 2,039 male billionaires in 2014, accounting for 87.7% of the world’s total billionaire wealth of US$7.3 trillion.
• There are 286 female billionaires in 2014, accounting for a 12.3% share of global billionaire wealth.
To further investigate wealth and affluence on Luxury Society, we invite your to explore the related materials as follows:
– UHNW Population Reaches All-Time High in 2013
– Luxury Executives Expect Growth From UHNW Segment in 2014
– Engaging UHNW Clients Through Bespoke Marketing
Creative Strategist, Digital
Sophie Doran is currently Senior Creative Strategist, Digital at Karla Otto. Prior to this role, she was the Paris-based editor-in-chief of Luxury Society. Prior to joining Luxury Society, Sophie completed her MBA in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on luxury brand dynamics and leadership, whilst simultaneously working in management roles for several luxury retailers.