How Much It Takes to Join the Top 1%, in 17 Countries

In the popular imagination, the "1%" comprises an exclusive club of superrich folks whose wealth is in the stratosphere. However, the 2024 Knight Frank wealth report finds that exclusive as the 1% may sound, it is easier to become a member of that club than to gain ultra-high-net-worth status. In all the markets that Knight Frank researchers assessed for this year's report, the 1% threshold starts far below the $30 million entry point for becoming an ultra-high-net-worth individual. Their findings confirm that substantial differences in wealth distribution exist between countries. The report notes that as Western countries in particular grapple with government deficits and the need to raise tax revenue, policy will focus more keenly on where wealth is located, how it is distributed across economies and how governments can both tax it and encourage its growth. See the accompanying gallery for the 1% threshold in 17 countries as of the fourth quarter of 2023.