8 Top Richest Cities in the World in 2021

Posted Moving Abroad / January 19, 2018
Daisy Wilson

Daisy was born in Salt Lake City and in her free time, she writes about moving and watches Charmed.

There are 2,674 billionaires on Earth according to the latest Forbes list, with an estimated total net worth of 13.1 trillion dollars. If you have been wondering where those people live, we present to you the top 8 richest cities in the world!

Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are only a few of the top richest people according to the Forbes World’s Billionaire List. To make their businesses so successful, they had to choose places where their ideas could become reality. A quarter of those rich people live in just 10 cities on three continents. Here are the top richest cities in the world they’ve chosen to call home.

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#1: Beijing, the City That Took New York’s Crown With the Highest Number of Billionaires in 2021

With 100 billionaires who have chosen to live here, the largest city in China, and being the 9th largest metropolis on Earth, this year, Beijing took the title of the community with the highest number of rich people. Although the corona pandemic has affected the Chinese economy, the quick recovery and an eCommerce boom might have been the reasons to move for 33 of the privileged few. All this pushed Beijing to skyrocket from 4th place on last year’s list to first place in 2021.

Who Is the Most Affluent Beijing Citizen?

The story of the most prosperous metropolis on the globe can not go without mentioning the citizens who have made it that way. When it comes to Beijing, its wealthiest citizen is Zhang Yiming, the founder of the TikTok social media network with a $35.6 billion net capital. After the initial release of TikTok in 2016, this internet entrepreneur needed less than five years to reach these numbers. And guess what? These figures are only projected to rise.

# 2: New York Is Still in the Game

It looks like Frank Sinatra’s verses are still the reality! If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere is the main motto of Big Apple’s locals. This is why 99 billionaires have chosen to live here. New York has for decades been considered the World’s Capital, and one of the richest cities in the world per capita, where the real estate, stock exchange, and media conglomerates are blooming.

Manhattan is, quite expectedly, the most common choice of the privileged few. Skyscrapers looking over Wall Street, Fifth Avenue, and Central Park and multi-million-worth penthouses are home to some of the wealthiest people ever like Ralph Lauren, George Soros, Leonard Lauder, and many more.

Curious About Who the Top Three Billionaires in the Big Apple Are?

Controversial former New York City’s mayor and the owner of leading media and entertainment company Bloomberg LP, Michael Bloomberg is not only the wealthiest man in the Big Apple but also one of the most affluent men on the whole globe, whose wealth is estimated to be $56.1 billion.

The second place is taken by David Koch, the owner of Koch industries. His wealth is estimated to be $42.7 billion, thanks to the diverse businesses he is into.

Another remarkable representative of the media and entertainment industry who takes third place in the run of the richest people in the Big Apple is Rupert Murdoch. One of the most powerful people in the media, Murdoch’s move across the world has definitely paid off. Started as the owner of a small newspaper in Australia, he is now executive chairman of the News Corp that owns the Wall Street Journal and is also the co-chairman of Fox Corporation. Murdoch’s wealth is estimated to be $20.6 billion.

#3: Hong Kong – the Rising Star on the Billionaires Horizon

Hong Kong is home to 80 billionaires at this moment. The city’s vast opportunities were motivating enough for many wealthy individuals to move abroad to Hong Kong and continue building their business endeavors.

The most affluent man in Hong Kong is definitely Robin Zeng, an entrepreneur who founded Contemporary Amperex Technology, the largest supplier of batteries used for electric vehicles. This innovation is so important that many multinational companies like Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, and Geely started to use Zeng’s batteries which skyrocketed his business to $43.2 billion in only four years

#4: Moscow – A New Hope for Europe

Although the number of multi-billionaires has been dropping from year to year, Moscow is still in the top five. The Russian capital is the choice of 79 billionaires right now, and for Europe, this is a huge number. Metals and mining are the leading industries that generate the wealth of the three greatest financial moguls in the Russian economy:

  • Alexey Mordashov & Family (51st on the Forbes), estimated net worth $29.1 B
  • Vladimir Potanin (55th on the Forbes), estimated net worth of $27 B
  • Vladimir Lisin (59th on the Forbes), estimate net worth $26.2 B

#5: Shenzhen – China’s Silicon Valley

China is definitely the country that has the largest number of billions who live there. After the capital of China, Shenzhen is another one on the list! Shenzhen is situated in the very south of China, and the first neighboring city is Hong Kong, so this position gives tremendous opportunities for business development in both cities.

Shenzhen is home to 68 billionaires, and the wealthiest one is Ma Hauteng – the founder of the most valuable Asian company Tencent Holdings. Tencent is an internet and technology company, focused on gaming and entertainment. Another thing Tencent has been developing for years is WeChat – a social media platform and payment app, which is one of the largest generators of Ma Haunteng’s wealth that amounts to $65.8 B.

#6: Shanghai – the Fourth Chinese City on the Billionaires’ Map

The biggest city and port in the country, Shanghai powered China’s eCommerce boom in the middle of the pandemic. At the moment, there are 64 billionaires in the metropolis. The wealthy citizens and pandemic winners are Colin Huang, the founder of Pinduoduo App (whose wealth is estimated at $55.3 B), and Li Ge, a pharmaceutical mogul whose net worth amounts up to $5 B.

#7: London Is Still Relevant, Even After Brexit

We could say that the whole 2020 year was a real ordeal for the UK. However, the country managed to deal with all difficulties, and as many as seven new billionaires have chosen to move to London, so now the capital of the UK counts 63 billionaires.

Len Blavatnik, an investor, is the wealthiest person in London with a net worth of $32 B. He gained the first millions in Moscow, and after a long journey came to London. Len Balvatnik is one of the greatest philanthropists among the elite, who has given more than $700 million in sponsorship to top-class universities such as Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard.

#8: Mumbai – India’s Financial Capital and a Fast-Growing City

The number of 48 billionaires got this Indian megapolis listed as the eighth most popular choice among the wealthiest people on the globe. Known as one of the biggest ports on earth, it’s not surprising that Mumbai became the financial capital of the country where institutions like the Bombay Stock Exchange, Reserve Bank of India, and National Stock Exchange are situated.

Although the largest port, Mumbai is also famous for other industries such as film, automotive parts, pharmaceuticals, IT, healthcare, and more traditional clothing and textile mills.

Mumbai’s wealthiest resident is Mukesh Ambani, who is listed 10th on the Forbes List, and whose richness is estimated to be worth $84.5 B. Ambani is the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries – a multinational conglomerate company listed as a Fortune Global 500 company and one of India’s most valuable companies.

Ready to Build Your Business Empire? Moving Overseas Is Only the First Step on That Way!

Having a defined aim in front of you is the initial step of every big story. Sometimes, those who have it should make some really tough decisions. Like moving abroad alone and starting all over again. From processing the culture shock to trying to adjust to a new country, the whole experience of living overseas will not be the easiest one. However, since a greater cause stands in front, the move to another country will always be purposeful!

To Stay Focused to Aim When Moving Internationally, Hire an International Moving Company to Take Care of the Tiniest Details

When preparing for moving abroad and running a business at the same time, it’s inevitable to experience a lot of moving stress. To reduce it to the minimum, hiring an overseas shipping company and scheduling all moving services is a helpful solution. And don’t forget this – you have to give some to get some, and the possibilities are limitless if you choose some of the mentioned places to live in.

The business climate, the options to learn from some of the best businessmen on the globe, or start a career in some of the most successful companies can be decisive experiences that will help you set up your own business in the future. Start working on your dream now and choose the starting point to embark on this adventure.

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