The number of billionaires worldwide could rise by 25% over the next five years, climbing from 3,110 today to nearly 3,915 by 2031, according to analysis by property consultancy Knight Frank. Wealth growth has been driven largely by the technology sector, particularly artificial intelligence, which has enabled fortunes to be built at unprecedented speed; the multimillionaire class (those worth at least $30m) has also surged, more than tripling since 2021 to over 713,000 people globally. The sharpest billionaire growth is projected in Saudi Arabia and Poland, while Asia Pacific is expected to overtake North America as the region with the largest share of the world's billionaires — a shift that comes amid widening global inequality and mounting calls for higher taxes on the super-rich.