Dubai Ranks Joint Eighth in the World With 43 Billionaires: UAE Home to 59 Worth USD 201 Billion, Altrata Billionaire Census 2026

Published 2026-08-29

Dubai is home to 43 billionaires, joint eighth among the world’s cities together with Shenzhen, according to the Billionaire Census 2026 published by the wealth-intelligence firm Altrata in August 2026 and reported by Emirates 24|7 on 2026-08-28. The city added two billionaires during 2025. The UAE as a whole counted 59 resident billionaires at the end of 2025 with a combined net worth of USD 201 billion (about AED 738 billion at the pegged rate), up 11.3% year on year, which places the country 14th among the top 15 billionaire countries. The Middle East as a region grew its billionaire population by 5% to 254 people, although the total wealth of the region’s billionaires fell by 4% to USD 0.7 trillion as oil prices closed 2025 almost 20% lower.

Top 15 billionaire cities in 2025

Altrata’s ranking counts billionaires by primary place of residence. The table reproduces the city list from page 18 of the report. Moscow, which usually sits in the top 15, was excluded from this year’s edition owing to data limitations.

The 15 cities together house 975 billionaires, or 26% of the global billionaire class. Six of the cities are in the United States and two in China; Dubai is the only Gulf city on the list. Altrata notes that the city ranking has a clear US bias but a more diverse geography than its list of ultra-high-net-worth cities, and singles out Singapore, Beijing, Mumbai, Dubai and Istanbul as the centres where billionaire wealth has been concentrating. Only two of the 15 cities, Hong Kong and London, lost billionaires during the year.

The UAE among the top 15 billionaire countries

At country level the UAE ranks 14th with 59 billionaires and USD 201 billion of combined wealth. The growth of 11.3% in the billionaire population is above the global average of 8.2%; among the top 15 only Germany (20.1%), Singapore (19.0%), Russia (18.0%), Canada (14.3%) and China (13.1%) grew faster. Saudi Arabia, the only other Gulf country in the table, ranks 13th with 68 billionaires, a decline of 2.9%, and a combined net worth of USD 175 billion. In other words, the UAE has fewer billionaires than Saudi Arabia but their aggregate wealth is USD 26 billion larger, and the average fortune of a UAE-based billionaire works out at roughly USD 3.4 billion, close to the global average of USD 4 billion reported by Altrata.

The top 15 countries held 83% of global billionaire wealth in 2025. The United States leads with 1,265 billionaires and USD 6,688 billion, followed by China (363, USD 1,438 billion), Germany (221), Russia (151) and India (132). Singapore, often compared with Dubai as a hub for mobile capital, has 75 billionaires and USD 139 billion, so the UAE’s billionaire wealth is 45% larger than Singapore’s despite a smaller headcount.

Middle East: more billionaires, less wealth

Altrata describes 2025 as a challenging year for Middle Eastern billionaires. The region’s billionaire population rose 5% to 254 individuals, driven, in the report’s words, by extensive non-oil diversification activity and large sovereign infrastructure programmes that supported capital inflows and new channels of wealth creation, particularly in the leading centres of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. At the same time, the region’s continued dependence on hydrocarbon exports was exposed by weak energy markets: oil prices closed 2025 almost 20% lower, the largest annual fall since 2020. The US dollar peg of most Gulf currencies gave less support to wealth holdings than in 2024, and regional equity markets underperformed the emerging-market average. As a result, total billionaire wealth in the Middle East fell 4% to USD 0.7 trillion, a 4.4% share of the global total.

Against that regional backdrop the UAE figures stand out: the country’s billionaire wealth rose while the region’s fell, and the UAE was the only Gulf market in the top 15 to add billionaires during the year.

The global picture

• The world’s billionaire population reached an all-time high of 3,795 in 2025, up 8.2%, the strongest growth in five years; a net 287 people joined the group.
• Combined billionaire wealth rose 12.8% to a record USD 15.1 trillion, close to a quarter of the market capitalisation of the S&P 500 at the time.
• The average billionaire fortune is USD 4 billion, the median closer to USD 2 billion; 46% of billionaires hold between USD 1 billion and USD 2 billion.
• 29 people with fortunes above USD 50 billion control 27% of all billionaire wealth, up from 7.2% in 2017.
• A fifth of billionaires are foreign born; the share reaches almost 60% in London, 41% in San Francisco and 19% in New York.
• Altrata estimates that USD 6.6 trillion of billionaire wealth will pass to almost 5,000 spouses and adult children over the next decade.

Why the UAE keeps attracting private capital

The Altrata report explains the regional growth with diversification and sovereign infrastructure spending. From the perspective of the individuals moving to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the practical framework is well documented and has not changed in 2026:

• No personal income tax. The UAE levies no tax on salaries, dividends, capital gains or inheritance at personal level. Corporate tax of 9% applies to business profits above AED 375,000, with a 0% rate for qualifying free zone income.
• Long-term residency. The 10-year Golden Visa is available to property investors from AED 2 million, to founders of qualifying companies and to a range of professional categories; the practical route is set out in our Golden Visa UAE guide.
• Family-office and holding structures. DIFC and ADGM offer common-law foundations, trusts and single-family-office regimes, while free zones such as DMCC, IFZA and Meydan host holding companies with 100% foreign ownership.
• A deep millionaire base. Billionaires are the top of a wider pyramid: Henley & Partners counts 81,200 resident millionaires in Dubai, ranking the city 18th in the world (see our note on the Dubai millionaire ranking).
• Banking and lifestyle infrastructure. Local and international private banks, the Dubai aviation hub and a property market that recorded AED 12 billion of transactions in a single week of August 2026.

What the billionaire ranking means for a business in the UAE

A census of 43 or 59 individuals does not change any law or procedure. What it does confirm is the direction of demand that companies serving wealthy residents see on the ground:

• Demand for structuring services. Every billionaire relocation brings a family office, holding companies, trusts and a team of advisers who need licences, visas and bank accounts of their own.
• Corporate clients with a global footprint. Ultra-wealthy residents typically keep operating businesses abroad and open a UAE entity for holding, treasury or regional management. Such entities face enhanced due diligence at banks, so the ownership chain must be documented before the account application.
• Premium services market. Yachts, aviation, art, private education, health care, security and concierge businesses register in the UAE to serve this client base; the licence activity must match the service offered, and some activities require third-party approvals.
• Real estate and Golden Visa flow. Investment in property above AED 2 million remains the most common bridge between a purchase and long-term residency, which in turn supports the rental and services economy around it.

Checklist: setting up a presence for a wealthy client in the UAE

• Decide on the purpose of the entity: holding, family office, operating business or property ownership.
• Select the jurisdiction (DIFC, ADGM, a free zone or mainland) according to the activity, the banking plan and the visa needs; details on our company setup in the UAE page.
• Prepare the ownership chain, source-of-funds and source-of-wealth documentation before approaching a bank; see bank account opening in the UAE.
• Apply for residence visas for the principal, family members and key staff, or for the Golden Visa where the investment threshold is met.
• Register for corporate tax and, where turnover requires, VAT, and keep audited financial statements for free zone entities that rely on the 0% rate.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital sets up companies in the UAE for foreign founders and investors: we select the jurisdiction, register the entity, arrange residence and Golden Visas for the principal and the family, and accompany the opening of corporate and private bank accounts, including the preparation of the source-of-wealth file that banks request from high-net-worth clients. For families relocating to Dubai we structure the holding company so that property, operating businesses and staff visas sit in the right entity from the start.

Conclusion

Altrata’s Billionaire Census 2026 places Dubai joint eighth in the world with 43 resident billionaires, ahead of Chicago, Mumbai, Houston, Paris and Istanbul, and puts the UAE 14th among countries with 59 billionaires worth USD 201 billion, up 11.3% in a year in which the wider Middle East lost 4% of its billionaire wealth. The report links the growth to economic diversification and sovereign infrastructure programmes. For the companies that serve this client base, the numbers translate into steady demand for holding structures, family offices, residence visas and bank accounts, each of which requires the licence, the documentation and the jurisdiction to be chosen correctly.

FAQ

How many billionaires live in Dubai in 2026?

According to Altrata’s Billionaire Census 2026, Dubai was home to 43 billionaires at the end of 2025, two more than a year earlier. That places the city joint eighth among the world’s top 15 billionaire cities, level with Shenzhen and ahead of Chicago (42), Mumbai (40), Houston (39), Paris (38) and Istanbul (37).

How many billionaires are there in the UAE and how wealthy are they?

The UAE counted 59 resident billionaires in 2025 with a combined net worth of USD 201 billion, about AED 738 billion. The billionaire population grew 11.3% year on year, and the country ranks 14th among the top 15 billionaire countries. Saudi Arabia ranks 13th with 68 billionaires and USD 175 billion.

Which city has the most billionaires in the world?

New York leads with 164 billionaires in 2025, followed by Hong Kong (106), San Francisco (99), London (79) and Singapore (75). The 15 largest billionaire cities together house 975 billionaires, 26% of the global total of 3,795.

Why is the number of billionaires in the UAE growing?

Altrata attributes the growth in the Middle East, and in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, to extensive non-oil diversification and large sovereign infrastructure programmes that support capital inflows. The UAE additionally offers no personal income tax, a 10-year Golden Visa for investors from AED 2 million in property, and family-office regimes in DIFC and ADGM.