As pandemic widens wealth gap, how much money one needs to join richest 1%

The world’s 500 richest people have added almost $600 billion to their combined fortunes this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

If you want to join Monaco’s richest 1%, you’ll need an eight-figure fortune.

A protester holds a placard reads " Let's eat the rich" as they gahter in place de la Bastille square during a demonstration, in Paris (AFP)

It takes $12.4 million to make the cut in the tiny Mediterranean principality, according to research from Knight Frank, where billionaire residents such as UK industrialist Jim Ratcliffe and Walgreens Boots Alliance chairman Stefano Pessina typically don’t face income or capital gains taxes.

Switzerland and Australia have the next highest entry points to the 1%, requiring net worth of $6.6 million and $5.5 million, respectively, according to data released Wednesday as part of the property broker’s 2023 Wealth Report. In the US, $5.1 million will get you over the threshold.

The findings underscore how the pandemic and surging living costs are widening the gap between rich and poor nations. The entry point for Monaco’s richest is more than 200 times greater than the $57,000 needed to join the 1% in the Philippines, which is one of the lowest ranked of 25 locations in Knight Frank’s study.

“Growing inequality globally could see a greater focus on this group – particularly in the sights for greater taxation on assets and even emissions,” Flora Harley, a partner in Knight Frank’s research team, said in a statement.