Henley & Partners counted 29,350 centimillionaires worldwide in 2024, defining them by at least US$100 million in liquid investable assets. A separate Knight Frank estimate counted more than 100,000 people worth US$100 million or more, using net worth. The figures differ because the reports measure wealth in different ways.
Why estimates differ
Henley & Partners' 2024 count is 29,350 people worldwide with at least US$100 million in liquid investable assets. In Henley's definition, that wealth includes listed holdings, cash and debt-free residential property. (Henley & Partners, 2024)
Knight Frank's 2025 Wealth Report counted more than 100,000 people worth US$100 million or more, based on its Wealth Sizing Model. (Knight Frank, 2025) These estimates are not directly comparable: Henley counts liquid investable wealth, while Knight Frank counts net worth. The difference in totals reflects those definitions, so it helps to check which measure a report uses before comparing numbers.
How the population is changing
Henley reported that its centimillionaire group grew 54% over the decade to 2024. Growth varied by region: China's count rose 108%, the US count rose 81%, and Europe's rose 26%. (Henley & Partners, 2024)
The group is concentrated in major cities. Henley reported that one-third of centimillionaires lived in 50 cities. New York had 744, the San Francisco Bay Area had 675, and Los Angeles had 496. (Henley & Partners, 2024) These city figures use Henley's liquid investable wealth measure.
A newer Henley report put the worldwide total at 30,450 in 2025, again using its centimillionaire measure. (Henley & Partners, 2025) This is a later estimate from the same source, while Knight Frank's much larger count uses a different wealth basis.
What the number means
"Centimillionaire" generally refers to someone with wealth of at least US$100 million, but reports do not all use the same definition of wealth. For a liquid asset count, Henley's 2024 figure is 29,350. For a net worth count, Knight Frank's 2025 estimate is over 100,000. (Henley & Partners, 2024; Knight Frank, 2025)
Richard C. Wilson has also shared a higher personal estimate in a video, saying there are over 100,000 centimillionaire families globally, but only about 50,000 "that we know about." This is his view, not a sourced global count, and it refers to families rather than individuals. (Richard C. Wilson, video n9Y2Kb969iI)
From Family Office Club events
"I went out and bought centimillionaires.com, wrote the first book on Centimillionaires."
Sources
- Henley & Partners, Centi-Millionaire Report 2024. henleyglobal.com
- Henley & Partners, World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2025. henleyglobal.com
- Knight Frank, The Wealth Report 2025. knightfrank.com
- Knight Frank, Global wealth trends: Knight Frank's 2025 Wealth Report. knightfrank.com
- Family Office Club event transcript
Educational only. Nothing on this site is investment, tax, legal, accounting or other professional advice, or a recommendation on any security, manager, structure or allocation. Speak with qualified professionals before acting.