Money is the medium of exchange for goods and services. It doesn’t literally make the world go around, but countries’ economies rely on exchanging money for products and services.
Money supply data is usually analyzed and published by the government or the central bank of the country. Since it is present in various forms (virtual and physical) in different currencies, it’s extremely difficult to determine the exact total amount.
To make things easier, we have converted all currencies into US dollars. And since US statistics are easily available, we can examine this question in many different ways.
Short Answer
There is approximately US$123 trillion in the world. This total includes physical cash in circulation, money in checking accounts, savings deposits, mutual funds, and money market securities.
Table of Contents
Different Types of Money
Generally, different types of money are classified as “M”s. They range from M0 (narrowest) to M3 (broadest), depending on the policy formulation of the country’s central bank.
The Federal Reserve System — central bank of the United States of America — for instance, publishes data on three monetary:
M0: All physical currency in circulation, including coins, notes, and bills, is called M0 money.
M1: includes all of the currency in the M0 money supply, plus all of the money held in demand deposits, travelers checks, other checkable deposits, and negotiable order of withdrawal. Basically, M1 money contains currency and assets that can be rapidly converted into cash.
M2: includes all elements of M1, plus saving deposits, mutual funds, money market securities, and other time deposits. Usually, these assets are used as an exchange medium and are less liquid than M1.
M3: is M2 plus large certificates of deposits, institutional money market funds, and short-term repurchase agreements. These assets are less liquid than other elements of the money supply.
The Federal Reserve System hasn’t tracked M3 money since 2006 because all valuable information on economic activity is already available in the M2 money supply.
So, How Much Money Is Out There?
According to the US Federal Reserve data, there is $2.3 trillion in circulation and $3.5 trillion in reserve balance.
As of the end of 2024, around 55.4 billion US notes of all denominations were in circulation. The Federal Reserve estimates that about half of the total value of this currency is held outside the United States.
As of July 2025, the M1 money supply is $18.4 trillion. If you are looking for all the physical money (notes and coins) and the money deposited in savings and checking accounts worldwide, you could expect to find approximately $50 trillion. This figure represents only ‘narrow money.’
However, if you add the ‘broad money,’ the amount rises to over $123 trillion. This amount further increases when you include Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
| Aggregate | Estimate(s) Worldwide |
| M0 (physical currency) | $8.27 trillion |
| M1 (cash + demand deposits, etc.) | $50 trillion |
| M2 (broader money-incl. savings etc.) | $123 trillion |
Money in the Stock Market
As of 2025, the total market capitalization of all publicly traded securities worldwide is over $126 trillion US dollars.
The US has the biggest stock market worldwide, with a market cap of more than $63 trillion. Leading tech companies such as Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and NVIDIA make up nearly 28.5% of the S&P 500 stock market index.
Other major stock markets are China ($11.9 trillion), Japan ($6.3 trillion), and India ($5.3 trillion).
The market cap of all publicly traded securities represents the overall value of the global financial system. It can also be seen as a measure of the total wealth of investors worldwide.
Money in Real Estate
According to Savills, a well-known real estate service company, the global value of real estate is estimated to be over $379.7 trillion as of 2023. This is more than the value of the world’s bonds and stocks combined.
Out of the total real estate market, around 76% is made up of residential properties, 13% is commercial spaces, and 11% is agricultural land.
It is important to note that these values are estimates, often based on appraisals, transaction data, and aggregate surveys. Different methodologies can lead to quite different numbers.
Money in Cryptocurrencies
According to CoinMarketCap, the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies is $3.96 trillion as of 2025. It represents a small portion of the total global wealth.
Bitcoin ($2.2 trillion) and Ethereum ($534 billion) together account for nearly 69% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. Other notable cryptocurrencies include XRP, Tether, USD Coin, and Binance Coin.
Gross World Product (GWP) Value
“Gross World Product” (GWP), also known as global GDP, is the total value of all goods and services produced worldwide in a year. For 2024, the World Bank and FRED estimate it at about $111.33 trillion, while the IMF projects a similar figure of around $113.8 trillion at current prices.
Wealth Distribution
Wealth is distributed very unevenly among people. Astonishingly, the richest 1% of individuals on Earth own more than half of the world’s wealth, while the bottom 50% of individuals own less than 1% of the world’s wealth.
This inequality is more pronounced in the United States, where the richest 1% of individuals own more than 40% of the country’s wealth. According to Snopes, 735 billionaires collectively own more wealth than the bottom half of the US households.
In the 2025 list of the world’s billionaires, Forbes included 3,028 billionaires with a total net wealth of $16.1 trillion, up nearly $2 trillion from the previous year. The US has a record 902 billionaires, followed by 516 in China and 205 in India.
Surprisingly, the top 81 billionaires have more wealth than half of the world combined. According to the Forbes Billionaires List 2024, the world’s ~2,700 billionaires together hold about $14 trillion in wealth. In comparison, the poorest 50% of the global population (around 3.9 billion people) possesses a negligible amount of wealth, often cited as just 2%.
Future Of Money
The total quantity of money in circulation will increase in the future as more investments flow in, and developing countries stabilize their economies.
However, the use of physical money will decrease in the coming years. We are entering a digital economy, and as digital payments gain more popularity, the amount of physical money will likely fall even further.
Cryptocurrencies are likely to play a significant role there. The underlying technology behind cryptos, blockchain, will find broader applications in various financial and non-financial sectors. This could potentially revolutionize the way transactions and record-keeping are done.
Many countries are shifting toward cashless societies, relying more on digital payments such as contactless cards, online banking, and mobile wallets. In Sweden, for instance, cash is used in less than 5% of all transactions.
Furthermore, many countries have started developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs); a few (including The Bahamas and Nigeria) have even implemented them. CBDCs are digital tokens issued by a central bank. They are similar to cryptocurrencies, but since they are issued and regulated by the nation’s monetary authority, they are much safer and more stable.
It is still too early to predict the impact of CBDCs on the global financial system. Nevertheless, CBDCs hold the promise of making payments faster, cheaper, and more inclusive.
More To Know
How much money does the world have? Is there an exact number?
No. Counting up the exact amount is next to impossible. There is no precise way to calculate the total money or value of assets on Earth. How can you quantify something that changes in value, not just in terms of currency rates but also in meaning? All we can do is make educated guesses.
How much money does the USA spend on its citizens?
The U.S. federal budget for FY2024 is about $6.5 trillion. In addition, states and local governments together spend around $4–4.5 trillion annually on services such as schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and policing. When combined, total federal, state, and local government spending amounts to roughly $11-12 trillion per year.
With a US population of approximately 335 million people (2025), this works out to about $33,000-36,000 spent per person annually by the government at all levels.
This spending covers all categories, including healthcare, defense, education, infrastructure, and social programs. Of course, not every dollar benefits each individual equally. For example, defense spending is shared nationally, while programs like Medicare or public education benefit specific groups more directly.
Which currency has the highest value in the world?
The highest currency in the world is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD), with one Kuwaiti Dinar equalling 3.27 United States Dollars. The first series of Kuwaiti dinar banknotes was introduced in 1960 and was initially equivalent to one pound sterling.
Read: 15 Highest Currencies In The World
What is the world’s total wealth?
The world is wealthier than ever. According to McKinsey’s report, global assets grew from $440 trillion (approximately 13 times GDP) in 2000 to $1,540 trillion in 2020, while net worth increased from $160 trillion to over $510 trillion.
This figure includes real estate prices, equity market prices, exchange rates, natural resources, human resources, as well as capital and technological advancements that may create new assets or render others worthless in the coming years.
According to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2025, global household wealth stands at about $500 trillion, with the U.S. and China together accounting for more than half of it.
Read More
- How Much Money Is Enough for a Fulfilling Life?
- How Much Gold Is There In The World?
- What Is Quantum Financial System? [A Simple Overview]
- H.6 Release, Money Stock Measures, Federal Reserve
- Paul Tostevin, The total value of global real estate, Savills
- Damakant Jayshi, Do 728 billionaires hold more wealth than half of American households?, Snopes
- Billionaires List, A record year for ten-figure wealth has left the billionaire class bigger and richer than ever, Forbes
- Khanyi Mlaba, The richest 1% own almost half the world’s wealth, Global Citizen
- FinTech, Digital payments market in Sweden, Statista
- Articles, How much money does the government spend per person?, USAFacts
- Lola Woetzel, The rise and rise of the global balance sheet, McKinsey & Company
- Jan Mischke, The future of wealth and growth hangs in the balance, McKinsey & Company
Amazing how much money is out there and I just realized how poor and messy my life is by knowing that I don’t have any cash on me. No bank account. No cryptocurrency or anything.
Get an exodus wallet and Ill give you some BTC, or w/e you want..
Really?
Is that only for samer T or cuz I could use some btc
If you have no bank account it is not necessarily a bad thing, your finances are not a mess when you consider the fact that the world itself is in 2.33 trillion dollars worth of debt lol you will be fine my friend
Samer, Money is only one form of currency!
This is why some of the richest people can often feel the poorest. When you can never have enough,, because greed can hijack and leave you feeling like you can never have enough,, or that the world is in competition all the time!!
Here are some other currencies that have value and society needs to be reminded:
Community, relationships, happiness, purpose, temperance( Opposite of gluttony’s), integrity, humility, Family and authenticity!
Since world stock market was about TR.$ 85 in Aug. 2020 and paper market ( paper wealth) are about TR.$ 945 to TR.$ 1200 so paper money are so huge that might be explorer next . On the other hand world wealth report 2019 said world wealth is about TR.$360 and world debt are Tr.$ 258 that are explained inequality has been more and more . These statics remind world needs to be change
people need to stop cutting down trees.
actually, trees are made from a special fabric material consisting of a blend of cotton and linen fiber. they do this mainly because it has to last years. but yes people do need to stop cutting down trees
Or just produce more CO2 , trees will grow faster this way.
out of the 1200 Trillion of in the form of investments, derivatives, and cryptocurrencies , only 0.16% are cryptocurrencies. And this is considering the record high crypto market cap from 2021 at 2 trillion USD.
the 1.3 quad trillion can not see where it’s coming from when everything seems to fall in the bracket just under 100 trillion. anyway, my life sucks. 32 no job no car no house no prospect. I should have finished my accounting and finance diploma. but anyway thank you for the article it was simple. simple is good — makes us understand better. Wish more articles were straight to the point and simple.
This is why Blockchain CBDCs were Invented !
We will always know how much money is on the Blockchain (based on the $USD)
Central Banks print money out of this air which can be forged easily and hidden
So were’s the crime ?? 😛
I need sooooo much money now please
Money is dirty paper. Worthless. Give me NFT’s and stable coins and things that can’t get dirty. That’s the secret.
Looks like those can get dirty too, try Grin or monero.
look bubbles!