The first half of 2019 brought continued civil unrest to France, with throngs of protesters taking to the streets to demand higher wages and pensions amid widening wealth inequality. But for the nation’s richest citizens, the first six months have been filled with good fortune.
The 14 people from France on the 500-member Bloomberg Billionaires Index added a combined $78 billion to their collective net worth since Dec. 31, a 35% increase. That’s more than double the pace of China’s richest, at 17%, and the U.S.’s 15%. The best returns outside of France came mostly from Asia as Thailand’s wealthiest were a close second at 33%, followed by Singapore’s 31% and 24% for Japan.