Overview
- Global billionaire wealth grew about 16% in 2025, adding roughly $2.5 trillion in a single year.
- Since 2020, billionaire fortunes have risen by more than 80% after inflation to a combined $18.3 trillion.
- Oxfam says the twelve richest individuals now hold more wealth than the poorest half of the world’s population.
- Germany’s billionaire count climbed by one‑third to 172 in 2025, with combined wealth up about 30% to $840.2 billion, placing the country fourth worldwide.
- The report cites democratic risks from outsized influence, noting $2.6 billion from 100 billionaire families in the last U.S. campaign and urging wealth taxation, with German debates over higher inheritance and billionaire taxes highlighted.