Global money supply per capita: how much money is allocated to each person

What if we could fairly distribute all the cash on the planet? It’s an interesting exercise that helps us understand the scale of the global economy and the actual size of material resources available to humanity. The answer to this question reveals an astonishing number that can both surprise and disappoint.

How the global money supply is determined

For such an analysis, experts use the concept of the money supply M2. This is not just cash in wallets and cash registers, but a much broader indicator that includes cash circulation worldwide plus highly liquid bank deposits. This category includes savings accounts, term deposits up to two years, and checking accounts with access with a notice period of up to three months.

The money supply M2 differs significantly from the total global wealth. Why? Because when calculating wealth, real estate, commercial property, and other assets are taken into account, which, although they have enormous value, cannot be quickly converted into cash. M2 is what can be relatively quickly transformed into cash form.

123.3 trillion dollars distributed to everyone

CEIC economic experts have gathered current data on the global money supply. According to their calculations, the global money supply M2 in 2024 reached 123.313 trillion dollars. This is an impressive sum, representing all the “liquid” money that can be mobilized in the world economy.

The world population at this moment is approximately 8.16 billion people. If this entire money supply were divided equally among every inhabitant of the planet — from farmers to doctors, from city dwellers to villagers — each would receive about 15,108 dollars or, converted to euros, approximately 13,944.28 euros.

What people around the world can afford

This is a decent amount by the standards of many countries. According to analysts at VisualCapitalist, who analyzed these figures, such an amount would be enough to cover the expenses of an average family for two years. Or, as cynically but accurately stated by experts, each person could afford to buy a new Dacia Sandero — a popular economical car.

Spain: higher per capita figures

It’s interesting to see how these calculations look on a regional level. Focusing on Spain, the picture is somewhat different. According to CEIC data as of December 2024, the money supply M2 in the Spanish economy was 1.648 trillion dollars.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (INE) as of January 2025 record the country’s population at 49.08 million residents. With such a distribution, each Spaniard would get $33,571.29 or, in euros, about €30,967.97. This is more than twice the global average, reflecting Spain’s relatively higher level of economic development and greater capital concentration in developed European countries.

These calculations clearly demonstrate the deep inequalities in the distribution of global resources and how the monetary policies of different countries influence the opportunities of their citizens.