India to be fastest-growing wealth market over next decade: Henley study

Dollar millionaires and billionaires will grow by 80% over the decade in India

There will be a big boom in the number of millionaires and billionaires in India over the next decade, says a report that tracks private wealth and investment migration trends worldwide.

According to a forecast of high-net-worth individual (HNWI) growth figures published in the latest Henley Global Citizens Report, the number of dollar millionaires and billionaires will grow by 80 per cent during this period in India compared to just 20 per cent in the US and 10 per cent in France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

The 2022 Q2 report was released by international residence and citizenship investment advisory firm Henley & Partners.

However, the latest projected 2022 net inflows and outflows of US dollar millionaires (the difference between the number of HNWIs who relocate and the number who emigrate from a country) forecast by New World Wealth and featured on the Henley Private Wealth Migration Dashboard show a net loss for India this year of about 8,000.

These outflows are not particularly concerning as India produces far more new millionaires than it loses to migration each year, said Andrew Amoils, head of research at New World Wealth, a wealth intelligence firm.
 

He added that there is also a trend of affluent individuals returning to India and once the standard of living in the country improves, wealthy people are expected to move back in increasing numbers. “General wealth projections for India are very strong. We expect the HNWI population to rise by 80 per cent by 2031, which will make India one of the world’s fastest growing wealth markets during this period. This will be fuelled by especially strong growth in the local financial services, healthcare and technology sectors.”

Nirbhay Handa, group head of business development at Henley & Partners and the managing director and head of the firm’s Global South Asia team, pointed out that interest in investment migration opportunities across South Asia remained buoyant overall in the first quarter.

He reasoned that any kind of uncertainty — political, economic or related to security — usually propels interest in the concept of residence and citizenship by investment, and this has been evident in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where there has been much unrest over the past few months.

“What is more, the stark polarisation of politics in many developing countries, ongoing speculation about fiscal policies, and changing stances in bilateral trade relations with each new political term are exposing entrepreneurs to risk and leaving many unsure about what the future holds for their businesses. This has piqued their interest in diversifying their domiciles so that their futures are not dependent solely on geopolitical developments in their home countries.”
 

UAE biggest wealth magnet

The UAE is expected to attract the largest net inflow of HNWIs globally in 2022, according to forecasts on the Henley Private Wealth Migration Dashboard. Singapore is placed third, after Australia, with expected net inflows of 2,800 this year (compared to predicted net inflows of 4,000 into the UAE and 3,500 into Australia).

Handa said in a statement that this was reflected in the enquiries and applications Henley & Partners was receiving for investment migration options. “We are also starting to receive considerable interest from families from across Asia, who are looking to make Singapore or the UAE their established base. Countries that are providing excellent infrastructure for wealth preservation are likely to remain popular destinations,” he added.

The UAE is expected to attract the largest net inflow of HNWIs globally in 2022, according to forecasts on the Henley Private Wealth Mig­ration Dashboard. Singapore is placed third, after Aus­tra­lia, with expected net inflows of 2,800 this year (compared to predicted net inflows of 4,000 into the UAE and 3,500 into Australia).