If you want to improve your chances of becoming a billionaire, you might consider moving to one of the 25 richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita. You might think I am joking wondering how moving to a city with more billionaires can possibly have any impact on your life, and you might wonder whether I am confusing correlation with causation. But here’s the thing: the billionaires in these cities didn’t reach the pinnacle of success based simply on their intellect and hard work, though of course that played a huge part as well.
The common theme you will notice in this list is that each of the cities mentioned here actually have facilities that boost your chances of success by providing the means such as infrastructure, tax breaks and support. This is why there are many cities common in our list and the list of 20 richest cities in the world by GDP per capita. There is a reason why India only has 111 billionaires, which may allow it to have the 3rd most billionaires in general, but when you calculate its billionaire per capita ratio that stands at a miserly 0.088 billionaires per 1,000,000 people. This is because of the lack of resources in the country combined with the fact that the already meager resources are spread unevenly. That means a brilliant, hardworking person in rural India may struggle to earn a basic living, let alone become a billionaire. On the other hand, the uneven spread of resources means that they are more widely available in some of the country’s metropolises which has allowed a couple of Indian cities to make this list.
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You might rightly wonder if the oil-rich countries have cities featured on our list considering the number of billionaires created due to the oil reserves present. However, surprisingly, the billionaires per capita in these countries is pretty low, and only Dubai features on our list. Furthermore, the cities with the most billionaires generally also tend to be the cities with the most millionaires.
The comparison between millionaires and billionaires shows a stark contrast. While you can find hundreds of thousands of millionaires in just New York or Tokyo or London, you won’t find more than 79 billionaires in any city, with New York City currently hosting this number. We used this statistic as the basis for our ranking of the 25 richest cities in the world with the most billionaires per capita. However, simply defining the total billionaires seemed to be inaccurate, as a city with 1 billionaire in a population of 100 will have a higher density of billionaires when compared to a city that has 10 billionaires in 10,000,000. Therefore, we divided the total billionaires in each city by the population of each city, determined through each city’s most recent census, to arrive at the figure for billionaire per capita. While Singapore, with 21 billionaires and a per capita ratio of 3.89 billionaires per million people would have made the list, we excluded it since it is not strictly a city. Let’s take a look at the other richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita where the top 1 percent live, starting with number 25:
25. Tokyo
Number of billionaires: 18
Billionaires per capita: 1.32 per 1,000,000 people
While it may have the most millionaires in the world according to Atlas, Tokyo only manages the 25th position when calculating the billionaire per capita ratio, with different industries contributing to the fortune of the aforementioned 18. Some of the industries where billionaires regularly ply their trade including the pharmaceutical industry, banking and construction, such as Masahiro Miki, owner of the discount shoe store ABC Mart.
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24. Delhi
Number of billionaires: 14
Billionaires per capita: 1.42 per 1,000,000 people
We are continuing our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita with India that has gained a market in software services, and some of its richest billionaires have found their calling in the software industry, including Shiv Nadar, India’s richest billionaire with a net worth of over $11 billion.
23. Istanbul
Number of billionaires: 26
Billionaires per capita: 1.85 per 1,000,000 people
With a net worth of over $39 billion distributed among its 26 billionaires, there is little surprise that Istanbul makes the list of 25 richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita. The richest among the 26 is Murat Ulker, who is also the only billionaire in Istanbul to have earned his vast fortune in the foods industry, and instead of slowing down, is planning to significantly increase the holdings and dealings of his company, and by proxy, increasing his own wealth.
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22. Guangzhou
Number of billionaires: 16
Billionaires per capita: 1.88 per 1,000,000 people
As China’s economy continues to grow at an incredible rate, more and more billionaires are popping up, and it might be a good idea to get used to Chinese cities popping up on this list. Guangzhou is no exception, and actually topped Forbes’ list of best cities for business in 2013, with one of its newest billionaires including Xu Jinfu.
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21. Shanghai
Number of billionaires: 31
Billionaires per capita: 2.16 per 1,000,000 people
Shanghai has also reported a significant increase in its billionaire tally. Shu Hongrui has become the latest billionaire from the city, according to Forbes, making it into the exclusive club in July 2016.
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20. Bangkok
Number of billionaires: 14
Billionaires per capita: 2.20 per 1,000,000 people
Most if not all of the billionaires in Thailand are located in its capital, Bangkok. That is a noticeable trend as well. For countries with just one city in our list, it is usually the capital which makes the ranking, mainly because the capital generally attracts more resources and talented citizens. One of the most popular billionaires is Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owns Leicester City Football Club.
19. Mumbai
Number of billionaires: 32
Billionaires per capita: 2.67 per 1,000,000 people
Due to the number of billionaires in the city, Mumbai, the number 19 on our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita is the richest city in India and has the richest man in the country, Mukesh Ambani.
18. Seoul
Number of billionaires: 30
Billionaires per capita: 3.00 per 1,000,000 people
South Korea is home to Samsung among other tech giants, and its chairman, Lee Kun-Hee is the richest man in the country.
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17. Shenzhen
Number of billionaires: 30
Billionaires per capita: 4.28 per 1,000,000 people
Another Chinese city which has taken advantage of the growth in the economy of the country, Shenzhen is home to 30 billionaires!
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16. Beijing
Number of billionaires: 51
Billionaires per capita: 4.43 per 1,000,000 people
It would be impossible for this list to be complete without the capital of China, which is home to the third most billionaires in the world, including Jerry Reinsdorf.
15. Chicago
Number of billionaires: 13
Billionaires per capita: 4.78 per 1,000,000 people
Despite being declared one of the most dangerous states in the country due to gang warfare, Chicago, next in line n our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita also has a high proportion of billionaires.
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14. Moscow
Number of billionaires: 60
Billionaires per capita: 5.03 per 1,000,000 people
Russia’s capital has seen its fair share of billionaires with the third most billionaires in the world, including the owner of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich.
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13. Los Angeles
Number of billionaires: 20
Billionaires per capita: 5.15 per 1,000,000 people
Los Angeles, the number 13 on our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita is not just home to Hollywood, it is home to some of the richest people in the world, such as Eli Broad.
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12. Dubai
Number of billionaires: 14
Billionaires per capita: 5.16 per 1,000,000 people
The discovery of oil led to billionaires being created overnight, while the real estate market developed rapidly as well, thereby increasing the wealth of those involved in the business.
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11. London
Number of billionaires: 48
Billionaires per capita: 5.53 per 1,000,000 people
The capital of England has a healthy banking sector, which is the preferred industry for some of its billionaires.
10. Hangzhou
Number of billionaires: 17
Billionaires per capita: 6.94 per 1,000,000 people
The 17 billionaires have a net worth exceeding $60 billion, which means they not only entered the club but consolidated their position in it as well.
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9. Taipei
Number of billionaires: 20
Billionaires per capita: 7.39 per 1,000,000 people
Next in line on our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita is Taiwan’s capital that has also created its fair share of billionaires due to a booming economy that has allowed individuals to maximize their wealth by making the right business decisions.
8. New York
Number of billionaires: 79
Billionaires per capita: 9.40 per 1,000,000 people
How could a billionaire list be complete without New York, which is home to the most billionaires in the world, including former mayor Michael Bloomberg?
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7. Hong Kong
Number of billionaires: 68
Billionaires per capita: 9.46 per 1,000,000 people
We are continuing our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita with Hong Kong that is one of the leading financial centers in the world and that is where most of its billionaires found their calling.
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6. Paris
Number of billionaires: 22
Billionaires per capita: 9.80 per 1,000,000 people
The capital of France, the next one on the list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita is home to the richest woman in Europe, as it is home to Liliane Bettencourt, daughter of the founder of L’Oreal, who has a net worth of $36 billion.
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5. Milan
Number of billionaires: 15
Billionaires per capita: 11.99 per 1,000,000 people
Milan’s billionaires have mainly found their calling in the fashion and retail industry.
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4. Dallas
Number of billionaires: 16
Billionaires per capita: 12.72 per 1,000,000 people
Perhaps the most popular billionaire in Dallas is Mark Cuban, who earned his billions from scratch and is a judge on the popular reality show Shark Tank.
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3. San Francisco
Number of billionaires: 28
Billionaires per capita: 33.44 per 1,000,000 people
Technology has been the backbone of San Francisco’s wealth, with Silicon Valley creating a lot of billionaires, including one of the most famous ones in recent history, Steve Jobs.
2. Geneva
Number of billionaires: 13
Billionaires per capita: 68.92 per 1,000,000 people
The second place on our list of richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita goes to Geneva that is not just one of the most beautiful cities in the world but is home to 13 billionaires despite a meager population, with one of the popular ones including Ernesto Bertarelli, who bought a yacht and enters it in sailing competitions around the world.
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1. Palo Alto
Number of billionaires: 13
Billionaires per capita: 195.07 per 1,000,000 people
Topping the list of 25 richest cities in the world with most billionaires per capita is Palo Alto whose most popular billionaire is a person you may have heard of: Mark Zuckerberg.
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