Wealth: worldwide private assets increase – Germany is back
According to a study, the growth of worldwide private assets accelerated in 2024 – but Germany lags behind. After an increase of 4.2 percent in 2023, private assets in 2024 grew by 4.6 percent to around $ 470 trillion, as the « Global Wealth Report » of the Swiss Bank UBS shows. North America recorded the greatest increase with more than 11 percent thanks to high price gains on the stock exchanges and a strong dollar at the time.
In contrast, there was only an increase of 0.4 percent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. According to UBS, the investigated value of the financial investments and real estate shrank in more than half of the 56 markets examined.
Germany only in the upper midfield
The wealth ranking is again led by Switzerland, which traditionally traden as a safe haven. There, an adult in 2024 came up with assets of a good $ 687,000, followed by the USA with $ 620,654 and Hong Kong with around $ 601,000. Germany, as the third largest economy in the world, only reached 19th place with around $ 257,000 per adult and is therefore clearly behind Great Britain and France.
Assets in Germany only grow moderately
The private assets in Germany increased comparatively little in 2024, writes UBS. The average assets measured in euros has grown by less than 2.5 percent in the previous year.
Less than half of Germany’s gross private assets consist of financial values, explains the bank. This means that the Germans benefited relatively little from the strong stock exchanges. In contrast, over two thirds of the assets come from non-financial areas such as land and real estate.
Savers in Germany traditionally create their money in bank deposits and often shy away from the stock exchange. According to the Bundesbank, the financial assets of private households increased to the record of around 9,050 billion euros at the end of 2024. However, more than a third was in cash and visibility. Especially households with a lower budget prefer such money parking spaces from caution.
UBS predicted the assets per adult will continue to grow in the next five years. The fastest way to grow in the United States, which almost 40 percent of global dollar millionaires alone, should grow, followed by China.
