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Global personal wealth rose at its fastest pace in years in 2025, driven by strong financial markets and gains in non-financial assets, but India remains an outlier with only about one-fourth of household wealth held in financial assets, underscoring the country's continued dependence on property and other physical assets for wealth creation, according to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2026.
The report said global personal wealth increased by 10.8 per cent in US dollar terms in 2025, more than double the pace recorded in each of the previous two years. "The world became significantly wealthier again in 2025, and at a rapid pace. Personal wealth rose by over 10%, lifted by strong markets and rising non-financial assets," it said. However, UBS cautioned that the gains were not evenly shared. "This growth was fueled by strong financial markets and a notable increase in non-financial assets... However, the gains were uneven: while average wealth rose notably, median wealth actually declined in most markets, highlighting a growing divide between the wealthiest and the broader population," the report said. Against this backdrop, India stood out not for the size of its financial wealth, but for its composition. According to the report, financial assets account for just 25.8 per cent of gross wealth in India, among the lowest shares in the 56 markets covered by the study. By comparison, financial assets make up over 80 per cent of household wealth in Sweden, Israel and Taiwan, nearly 79 per cent in the United States and around 52 per cent in mainland China. "On the opposite end of the scale we find a value below 20% in Turkiye, below 26% in India, just above 31% in Spain and close to 44% in Germany," UBS said, highlighting the stark differences in how household wealth is held across countries. The report also showed Indian households carry relatively low debt compared with many developed economies. Debt accounts for 8.2 per cent of gross wealth in India, compared with more than 20 per cent in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, 23.4 per cent in Brazil and around 11 per cent in the United States, Germany and mainland China. UBS said there are "vast variations in the level of debt" across countries, with India among markets where household leverage remains comparatively modest. The findings suggest that while global wealth creation in 2025 received a strong boost from financial markets, Indian household wealth continues to be anchored largely in non-financial assets such as real estate and other physical assets, making its wealth profile markedly different from that of many developed economies. (ANI)
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