The countries with the highest concentrations of billionaires - "The top 1%" has evolved into a term used to describe almost mythical-like figures who together control almost US$10 trillion, which is more than the GDP of China, the world's second strongest economy.

The world's wealth is increasingly becoming more concentrated at the top, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Unsurprisingly, the number of billionaires in the world has surged. In 2017, the number reached 2,754, an increase of 14.9%, as reported by The Guardian. Visual Capitalist, a Canadian media and news firm, ranked the countries with the greatest concentration of billionaires per capita.

Are you surprised by the results?

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25. India - People per billionaire: 13,108,911 / 
Total number of billionaires: 101
Richest billionaire: Mukesh Ambani / 
Company: Reliance Industries Limited / 
Net worth: US$40.5 billion (Source: Forbes)

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24. Indonesia - People per billionaire: 13,055,000 /
Total number of billionaires: 20 / 
Richest billionaire: Robert Budi Hartono /
Company: Djarum /
Net worth: US$15.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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23. Mexico - People per billionaire: 8,500,000 /
Total number of billionaires: 18 / 
Richest billionaire: Carlos Slim Helú /
Company: Telmex, Grupo Carso /
Net worth: US$63.5 billion (Source: Forbes)

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22. Philippines - People per billionaire: 7,378,571 /
Total number of billionaires: 14 / 
Richest billionaire: Henry Sy /
Company: SM Group /
Net worth: US$19.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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21. Brazil - People per billionaire: 4,830,233 /
Total number of billionaires: 43 / 
Richest billionaire: Jorge Paulo Lemann /
Company: 3G Capital /
Net worth: US$25.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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20. China - People per billionaire: 4,322,884 /
Total number of billionaires: 319 / 
Richest billionaire: Wang Jianlin /
Company: Dalian Wanda Group /
Net worth: US$30.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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19. Japan - People per billionaire: 3,848,485 /
Total number of billionaires: 33 / 
Richest billionaire: Masayoshi Son /
Company: SoftBank Group /
Net worth: US$$21.6 billion (Source: Forbes).

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18. Thailand - People per billionaire: 3,443,000 /
Total number of billionaires: 20 / 
Richest billionaire: Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi/
Company: ThaiBev /
Net worth: US$16.9 billion (Source: Forbes)

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17. Turkey - People per billionaire: 2,741,724 /
Total number of billionaires: 29 / 
Richest billionaire: Murat Ülker /
Company: Yıldız Holding /
Net worth: US$4.3 billion (Source: Forbes)

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16. Spain - People per billionaire: 1,862,400 /
Total number of billionaires: 25 / 
Richest billionaire: Amancio Ortega /
Company: Inditex (Zara) /
Net worth: US$69.5 billion (Source: Forbes)

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15. France - People per billionaire: 1,760,526 /
Total number of billionaires: 38 / 
Richest billionaire: Bernard Arnault /
Company: LVMH /
Net worth: US$86.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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14. Russia - People per billionaire: 1,503,125 /
Total number of billionaires: 96 / 
Richest billionaire: Leonid Mikhelson /
Company: Novatek /
Net worth: US$18.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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13. Italy - People per billionaire: 1,442,857 /
Total number of billionaires: 42 / 
Richest billionaire: Maria Franca Fissolo /
Company: Ferrero SpA /
Net worth: US$2.1 billion (Source: Forbes)

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12. South Korea - People per billionaire: 1,348,684 /
Total number of billionaires: 38 / 
Richest billionaire: Lee Kun-hee /
Company: Samsung Group /
Net worth: US$20.3 billion (Source: Forbes)

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11. United Kingdom - People per billionaire: 1,215,566 /
Total number of billionaires: 54 / 
Richest billionaire: S.P. Hinduja /
Company: Hinduja Group /
Net worth: US$19.3 billion (Source: Forbes)

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10. Canada - People per billionaire: 930,513 /
Total number of billionaires: 39 / 
Richest billionaire: David Thomson /
Company: Thomson Reuters Corporation/
Net worth: US$24.4 billion (Source: Forbes)

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9. Taiwan - People per billionaire: 759,677 /
Total number of billionaires: 31 / 
Richest billionaire: Terry Gou /
Company: Foxconn Technology Group /
Net worth: US$8.1 billion (Source: Forbes)

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8. Australia - People per billionaire: 731,212 /
Total number of billionaires: 33 / 
Richest billionaire: Gina Rinehart /
Company: Hancock Prospecting /
Net worth: US$18.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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7. Germany - People per billionaire: 725,175 /
Total number of billionaires: 114 / 
Richest billionaire: Beate Heister /
Company: Aldi /
Net worth: US$29.7 billion (Source: Forbes)

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6. United States - People per billionaire: 571,858 /
Total number of billionaires: 565 / 
Richest billionaire: Jeff Bezos /
Company: Amazon /
Net worth: US$130.3 billion (Source: Forbes)

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5. Israel - People per billionaire: 474,833 /
Total number of billionaires: 18 / 
Richest billionaire: Eyal Ofer /
Company: Ofer Global /
Net worth: US$9.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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4. Sweden - People per billionaire: 319,452 /
Total number of billionaires: 31 / 
Richest billionaire: Stefan Persson /
Company: H&M /
Net worth: US$16.1 billion (Source: Forbes)

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3. Singapore - People per billionaire: 267,000 /
Total number of billionaires: 21 / 
Richest billionaire: Robert and Philip Ng /
Company: Sino Group /
Net worth: US$10.9 billion (Source: Forbes)

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2. Switzerland - People per billionaire: 232,556 /
Total number of billionaires: 36 / 
Richest billionaire: Ernesto Bertarelli /
Company: Waypoint Capital, Merck Serono/
Net worth: US$8.5 billion (Source: Forbes)

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1. Hong Kong - People per billionaire: 109,657 /
Total number of billionaires: 67 / 
Richest billionaire: Li Ka-shing /
Company: Cheung Kong Holdings /
Net worth: US$34.2 billion (Source: Forbes)

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Total vs. concentration - The United States outnumbers all other countries in total number of billionaires with a whopping 565. But when measured against its population, the US loses considerable ground. Hong Kong, in turn, boasts 67 billionaires in just one city of about seven million.

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Capital flight - China has been accumulating billionaires rapidly in recent years. However, the country also loses many of its ultra-rich population to capital flight, which means they relocate elsewhere. The countries that lose the most millionaires are France, China, Brazil, India, and Turkey, according to Visual Capitalist.

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Zero billionaires - Of the world's 195 countries, more than 100 are not home to any billionaires. This includes nations like Lithuania, Haiti, Ethiopia, Belarus, and Andorra.

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Billionaires vs. population - In turn, some countries that did make the list, such as India and Indonesia, are home to a number of billionaires but rank low in terms of concentration. The odds of running into a billionaire in either country is 1 in 13 million.

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