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Even millionaires have a wealth gap.
One out of every 10 millionaires has a net worth between $5 to $30 million, which Wealth-X defines as "very high net worth" (VHNW) individuals in its annual report. But the wealth among this wealthy class is lopsided.
Two-thirds of the VHNW class (about 1.7 million people) comprise the cohort's lowest wealth tier of $5 million to $10 million, per the report. But those in the upper two tiers — the $15 million to $20 million range and the $20 million to $30 million range — represent just 421,170 people, less than 16% of the VHNW population. And they hold twice as much wealth, or 32% of the total.
The VHNW class is collectively worth $26.8 trillion, accounting for a quarter of millionaires' total global wealth of $105 trillion. Those worth $1 million to $5 million account for 40% of this total wealth, while those worth over $30 million account for 34%.
This means that across both the larger millionaire population and the VHNW cohort, vast amounts of wealth are held by an exclusive group.
The pandemic has widened wealth inequality
Pre-pandemic, wealth inequality was lurking underneath America's surface. As Insider's Andy Kiersz reported, there was a "two-track" economy: those who owned stocks, or were already firmly middle or high-income, were reaping the benefits of a booming economy. An increasing share of national income was going to the top 1%.
The pandemic has since exacerbated the economy's uneven dynamics, reported Insider's Juliana Kaplan. Inequality deepened with a K-shaped recovery, as the different tracks diverged.
The bottom of the K dragged downward, with lower-income individuals continuing to struggle with the economic fallout. The poor were financially vulnerable, with many on unemployment benefits or risking their health as an essential service worker. From June to November, about 7.8 million Americans fell below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, higher-income Americans were six times more likely to be able to work from home than lower-wage workers, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute. They were spending less and saving more, and the very richest have been growing their billions.
The wealth gap among VHNW millionaires, and millionaires overall, says a lot about the wealth gap among the rich and the poor. It shows just how concentrated wealth is at the very top.
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