German States Observe Catholic Holiday; Global Millionaires Reach Record High
Quick Look
- Several German states are observing Fronleichnam/Corpus Christi, a major Catholic holiday.
- Meanwhile, a new study reveals a record 25.3 million millionaires globally in 2025, with Germany ranking third.
AI-generated summary
German states with a majority Catholic population are observing a major holiday called Fronleichnam in German or Corpus Christi (Latin for "Body of Christ").
The festival celebrates the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, honoring the belief that Jesus Christ is substantially present in the bread and wine used during communion.
Today is a public holiday in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
This holiday is also an official holiday in certain predominantly Catholic communities in the states of Saxony and Thuringia.
However, in Berlin and other states, it's just another workday.
Even though the festival isn't a nationwide holiday, many people take advantage of the Thursday holiday by combining it with a Friday holiday to enjoy a long weekend.
The number of millionares worldwide grew by almost 2 million last year to reach a record 25.3 million people in 2025, according to a new study.
Germany saw its population of high-net-worth individuals or people with liquid assets of $1 million (€860 million) or more rising by 11.1% to about 1.78 million people a year.
Their combined wealth rose by 12.7% to just over $7.1 trillion, helped in part by easing inflation.
That put Germany third on the list of countries with the most number of millionaires, according to Capgemini, a consulting firm.
Europe's population of high-net-worth individuals also grew 6.5% in 2025 after a decline in 2024.
Those gains were attributed to stabilizing equity markets and easing inflation.
US adds most number of millionaires
Meanwhile, the United States added the largest number of "dollar millionares," defined as people with a net worth of at least $1 million, according to the study.
The US added 736,000 millionaires last year — more than any other country worldwide — with the number of millionaires totaling 8.7 million.
The boom in wealth generation was largely led by expectations and enthusiasm over artificial intelligence that sent tech stocks soaring.
Asian economies recorded the highest growth on a regional level. Japan added 436,000 millionaires and China added 154,000 millionaires.
