Significant differences in wealth levels across Europe continue to be reflected in the latest data published by UBS in its Global Wealth Report 2025. Average net wealth per adult in 2024 ranged from €29,923 in Turkey to €634,584 in Switzerland, underscoring a marked gap between Western and Eastern Europe.
Net wealth is defined as the total value of a household’s financial and real assets, primarily property, after deducting liabilities.
Countries With The Highest Average Wealth
Switzerland and Luxembourg are the only European countries where average wealth per adult exceeds €500,000. In Luxembourg, it stands at €523,591, while in Switzerland it reaches €634,584. Denmark follows with €444,898.
Average wealth also exceeds €300,000 in several Northern and Western European countries, including the Netherlands with €342,477, Norway with €340,364, Belgium with €322,805, the United Kingdom with €313,840 and Sweden with €308,935.
Among Europe’s five largest economies, the United Kingdom records the highest average wealth. France reports €278,550, Germany €237,172, Spain €215,945 and Italy the lowest at €198,321.
In Cyprus, average net wealth per adult stands at €102,315, placing the country 12th from the bottom in the European ranking and noticeably below the Western and Northern European core.
More than one third of the countries examined record average wealth per adult below €100,000. These include Latvia at €91,783, Czechia at €86,791, Croatia at €76,358, Estonia at €72,276, Lithuania at €63,189, Slovakia at €58,573, Poland at €56,159, Hungary at €55,276, Bulgaria at €47,798, Romania at €44,568 and Turkey at €29,923.
Within the European Union, the gap remains wide, with Romania at the lowest level and Luxembourg at the highest.
Average Versus Median Wealth
The report notes that the average can present a distorted picture, as it is strongly influenced by a small number of very wealthy individuals. For this reason, the median value, defined as the point at which half the population holds less wealth and the other half holds more, is often considered more representative of the middle economic position.
In all countries included in the report, the median is lower than the average. In Switzerland, for example, average wealth amounts to €634,584, while the median stands at €168,374.
Median wealth per adult ranges from €7,765 in Turkey to €365,244 in Luxembourg. Within the European Union, the lowest median level is recorded in Poland at €22,257.
Based on median wealth, Belgium ranks second with €234,238, followed by Denmark with €199,647, Switzerland with €168,374 and the United Kingdom with €162,944.
The median exceeds €100,000 in France, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Malta. In Greece, median wealth stands at €56,661 per adult. In several countries, mainly in Eastern Europe, it remains below €50,000.
Country rankings shift noticeably when median rather than average wealth is used. Germany, Sweden, Austria and Czechia each drop six places in the ranking based on median wealth. Germany, for example, falls from 11th place based on average wealth to 17th when median wealth is considered.
By contrast, Malta gains six places, rising from 17th to 11th. Belgium, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, France and the United Kingdom also rank higher when median wealth is taken into account.
West–East Wealth Divide
The data show a clear separation between Western and Northern Europe on the one hand and Eastern Europe on the other. Countries with strong financial centres, such as Switzerland and Luxembourg, rank at the top, while Scandinavian economies record consistently high performance, with Finland positioned closer to the middle of the ranking.
Based on average wealth, the difference between the wealthiest and poorest countries exceeds twentyfold at European level and tenfold within the European Union. Using the median, the gap between extreme values is even greater.
A separate issue concerns inequality within each country, namely how wealth is distributed among citizens. This is typically measured by the Gini index and may vary significantly even in countries with high average wealth.
Source: With information from Euronews
