Global Finance: How Much Money Is Allocated Per Person

If all the cash circulating in the global economy could be gathered and evenly distributed among all the inhabitants of the planet, everyone would receive the same amount. A farmer from Wisconsin, a potter from New Delhi, a goat herder from Namibia, and a dentist from Sydney—all would have the same capital. Curious about the amounts involved? It turns out each person would have enough to buy a used car, or even a new Dacia Sandero.

What is the M2 money supply and how does it affect global wealth distribution

The modern economic system is a complex mechanism that includes many financial elements shaping the concept of wealth. One way to assess the scale of global capital is to analyze the M2 money supply, also known as the intermediate monetary aggregate.

The M2 money supply represents the total funds that can be relatively quickly converted into cash. This includes currency in circulation, highly liquid bank deposits (up to two years), savings accounts, money market accounts, and deposits available with a three-month notice. In simple terms, these are all the funds that can be accessed relatively easily.

It is important to note the difference between M2 and global wealth. Global wealth includes assets and real estate, which, although of significant value, cannot be quickly converted into cash. According to UBS’s “Global Wealth Report 2024,” private net wealth worldwide amounted to $487.9 trillion in 2024. However, the M2 money supply is a narrower but practical indicator of the current financial situation.

Global distribution calculations: numbers that surprise

According to CEIC data for 2024, the total global M2 money supply reached $123.3 trillion. Meanwhile, the world’s population is 8.16 billion people (according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2024).

Dividing this amount evenly, each inhabitant of the planet would get approximately $15,108 USD, or about €13,944 at the current exchange rate. For clarity: this amount is equivalent to a year’s expenses for an average family on goods and services, the cost of a used vehicle, or, as mentioned above, the price of a brand-new Romanian Dacia Sandero sedan without additional equipment.

Thus, how much money is distributed per person in the world depends on the metric used: if we consider M2, it’s about $15,000. However, the real picture is much more complex, as money is distributed extremely unevenly.

Regional differences: Spain’s example shows uneven distribution

It’s interesting to see how this situation looks on a regional level. Applying the same calculation to Spain yields more favorable results.

According to CEIC data for December 2024, Spain’s M2 money supply was $1.648 trillion. The country’s population, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (INE) as of January 2025, is 49,077,984 residents.

If the Spanish M2 were distributed evenly, each resident would have $33,571 USD, which is approximately €30,968. This amount significantly exceeds the global average—by nearly 2.2 times. This disparity demonstrates how developed economies accumulate monetary mass and highlights the deep economic gaps between wealthy and less developed regions of the planet.

Therefore, the answer to how much money is allocated per inhabitant depends on the scope of the analysis. Globally, it’s about $15,108, but in developed countries like Spain, it’s more than twice that. This vividly illustrates how economic inequality is formed on a macroeconomic level and why simple redistribution of the money supply would be insufficient to solve world poverty.