Global wealth surges as China overtakes US to grab top spot

The US, held back by more muted increases in property prices, saw its net worth more than double over the period, to $90 trillion

Global wealth tripled over the last two decades, with China leading the way and overtaking the US for the top spot worldwide.

That’s one of the takeaways from a new report by the research arm of consultants McKinsey & Co. that examines the national balance sheets of ten countries representing more than 60 per cent of world income.

“We are now wealthier than we have ever been,” Jan Mischke, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute in Zurich, said in an interview.

Net worth worldwide rose to $514 trillion in 2020, from $156 trillion in 2000, according to