The World's Fastest-Growing Wealth City Is A Rapidly Rising Tech-Driven Destination In Asia

When it comes to reinvention, the Chinese city of Shenzhen did more than just try its hand at it — it succeeded. The rise of this former salt-producing Hakka village began in 1980, when it was appointed as a Special Economic Zone. Agriculture took a backseat to technology and modernization, and in the following decades, Shenzhen grew from a town of 30,000 into a city of 17 million, with modern infrastructure and an extensive transport system robust enough for businesses and accompanying economic growth. 

Today, Shenzhen is considered the "world's fastest growing wealth hub" of 2025, according to the World's Wealthiest Cities Report by Henley & Partners and wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth. The report's numbers don't lie: Shenzhen welcomes 50,800 millionaires, 156 centi-millionaires, and 22 billionaires within its shores, with millionaire growth rising 142% between 2014 and 2024. Not too shabby for a former fishing village.

On the heels of Shenzhen as the second fastest-growing wealth hub is Scottsdale, Arizona, America's best place to retire in 2025. Its 125% millionaire growth includes 14,800 millionaires, 64 centi-millionaires, and five billionaires. Rounding out the top three fastest-growing wealth hubs list is Bengaluru, India — referred to as the "Silicon Valley of India" and chock-full of trendy dining and shopping — with 13,600 millionaires, 43 centi-millionaires, and eight billionaires.

Shenzhen's strong manufacturing opportunities and strategic access to major ports have attracted burgeoning and established local and international tech companies and multinational corporations (notably Huawei, Tencent, BYD, and ZTE) to its shores. Numerous companies and businesses have grown and flourished thanks to Shenzhen's dynamic talent pool and the city's focus on continuously advancing its technological, economic, and industrial capabilities. 

"[Shenzhen] is now arguably the world's leading city in a number of key tech sub-sectors including computer hardware, electric vehicles, Wi-Fi dongles, mobile phones, flying drones, 5G, energy units and electronics," New World Wealth's Head of Research Andrew Amoils said in a Henley & Partners press release.

In addition to its technological focus, Shenzhen is designated a UNESCO City of Design. Like Paducah, Kentucky (one of the nine UNESCO Creative Cities in America), Shenzhen is part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, which "promotes cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development." It is the first Chinese city to earn this designation. Various design-related activities thrive in Shenzhen, spanning the fields of graphic arts, industrial design, architecture, and fashion, among others. With new talent and boundless opportunities, it's no wonder that Shenzhen is a city where wealth, dreams, and the possibility of success collide.