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Why the Rich Are Leaving (and Where They’re Going)
Follow the money: Where the wise and wealthy are planting flags.
Philip Saparov
May 09, 2025
In partnership with
Greetings, discerning tracker of power and potential,
Every year, thousands of the world’s wealthiest quietly make a life-changing decision: Where to go next.
They’re not just chasing lower taxes or better weather. They’re seeking safety, freedom, opportunity—and a future they can trust.
This month, we unpack where they’re moving, why it matters, and what their choices reveal about the world’s changing centers of gravity.
Let’s get to it…
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In 2024 alone, over 122,000 millionaires moved to a new country—often quietly, but with big ripple effects. Their reasons? Safety, opportunity, and a friendlier tax bill.
📉 At the top of the outflow list:
🇨🇳 China, where ongoing political tightening and slowing economic growth led over 15,000 millionaires to leave last year.
🇷🇺 Russia saw nearly 9,000 millionaires depart—partly due to sanctions, but also fear of instability and economic isolation.
🇬🇧 The UK, once a haven for global wealth, is also bleeding millionaires—more than 3,000 in 2023—due to higher taxes and a perception of political unpredictability.
Insight to keep in mind: High-net-worth migration is often a leading indicator of broader capital flight. When the wealthy start moving, businesses and investment often follow.
💡 Surprising signal: Millionaires now account for less than 1% of global population, but control over 45% of investable assets. Their exit isn’t just symbolic—it’s seismic.
It’s not just sunshine drawing the world’s wealthy to Australia. With its stable politics, high quality of life, and attractive investment visa programs, the country has quietly become one of the top three destinations for migrating millionaires.
🇦🇺 In 2023, Australia welcomed more than 5,000 new millionaires, with most settling in Sydney and Melbourne. These cities offer a mix of strong healthcare, excellent schools, and growing tech hubs.
The country’s Significant Investor Visa, which requires AU$5 million in approved investments, has become a key gateway for Asian and Middle Eastern elites seeking long-term security.
Putting it into perspective: Unlike traditional tax havens, Australia attracts wealth through lifestyle, infrastructure, and relative safety—not secrecy.
💡 Unexpected detail: Australia now has more millionaires per capita than Germany—a reflection of both rising wealth and successful migration strategies.
Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates—particularly Dubai—has reinvented itself as the go-to destination for global elites.
🇦🇪 In 2023, the UAE gained over 6,000 millionaires, surpassing Singapore and the U.S. as the top destination globally. The draw? 0% income tax, political stability, and aggressive courting of foreign talent and capital.
Dubai’s streamlined business setup, cosmopolitan appeal, and growing digital economy make it especially attractive to entrepreneurs, investors, and cryptocurrency pioneers.
And while it remains a cultural outlier for some, many are willing to adapt in exchange for its fiscal perks and infrastructure.
Looking ahead: Dubai is now investing heavily in healthcare, education, and sustainability—aiming to become not just a stopover for wealth, but a permanent home.
💡 Unusual twist: Many European millionaires are relocating entire families—not just assets—to Dubai, citing better schooling and lifestyle flexibility.
The U.S. has long attracted the world’s elite. In 2023, it welcomed nearly 2,000 new millionaires—drawn by its massive market, world-class universities, and innovation hubs.
But unlike traditional wealth havens, the U.S. taxes global income and imposes stricter financial disclosure rules—making it less attractive to those seeking secrecy or low taxes.
Instead, it appeals to business-driven wealth: tech founders, investors, and skilled immigrants aiming to tap into the American Dream (or at least its venture capital ecosystem).
🏙️ New York, Miami, and Austin remain top millionaire magnets, while California sees more outflow than inflow, due to its rising tax burden and regulatory complexity.
Takeaway: The U.S. is no longer the go-to for tax sheltering—but remains a heavyweight for opportunity and innovation.
💡 Unexpected insight: Miami now has the fastest-growing millionaire population in the U.S., driven by tech exiles from California and finance refugees from New York.
Southern Europe has emerged as a haven for lifestyle-seeking millionaires. Countries like Portugal and Greece are leveraging “golden visa” programs to attract wealthy newcomers looking for residency, real estate, and a Mediterranean lifestyle.
🇵🇹 Portugal has been particularly successful—with Lisbon and the Algarve region drawing thousands of digital entrepreneurs and retirees. Though its original golden visa was phased out in 2023, other routes remain open.
🇬🇷 Greece has followed suit, offering one of the cheapest investment visa thresholds in Europe (just €250,000 in real estate) and attracting a wave of Asian and European applicants.
What sets them apart: These countries combine affordable cost of living, high quality of life, and EU access—plus generous tax exemptions for foreign income.
💡 Historical twist: Greece’s current wealth inflow is reversing a 2010s-era trend when high taxes and recession drove mass emigration of professionals.
Singapore has steadily positioned itself as a safe, efficient, and discreet destination for global millionaires.
🇸🇬 With its strong legal system, low crime, and low taxes, Singapore is now home to over 250,000 high-net-worth individuals, with hundreds more arriving each year.
It’s particularly attractive to Chinese and Indian entrepreneurs looking to diversify wealth out of increasingly uncertain domestic markets.
The government’s measured policy changes—including restrictions on foreign property purchases—have done little to dent its appeal, particularly in private banking and family office sectors.
In perspective: Singapore’s appeal lies in predictability. In a world of surprises, it offers calm, clarity, and compounding interest.
💡 Surprising stat: Singapore now has more millionaires per square mile than anywhere else on Earth.
If you trace where millionaires are heading—and fleeing—you can map global confidence in real time. Wealth isn’t just looking for yachts and sunshine; it’s seeking rule of law, safety, and smart governance.
📉 Countries with rising crime, political unpredictability, or tax uncertainty are watching their wealthy residents walk out the door.
📈 Meanwhile, countries that offer a mix of personal freedom, economic opportunity, and lifestyle quality are rapidly rising as new power centers.
This shift also affects middle-class expats and global professionals, who often follow similar paths for the same reasons—but with different stakes.
Final takeaway: Millionaire migration is a bellwether. Where they go today, capital, innovation, and talent may follow tomorrow.
💡 Projection to note: By 2033, India is expected to lose over 80,000 millionaires, while the UAE, Australia, and Singapore could see record inflows—reshaping the map of global influence.
Wealth moves for a reason—and it rarely moves alone.
When millionaires relocate, they carry more than money. They bring influence, innovation, and long-term bets on where the future will flourish.
For those of us paying attention, these migration patterns offer clues – to where opportunity is rising; where safety is trusted; where the next chapter of global prosperity may be written.
Stay curious, stay informed—and always keep an eye on the map. It’s not just changing. It’s pointing somewhere.
Warm regards,
Shane Fulmer
Founder, WorldPopulationReview.com
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