A scene from the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" Source: Crazy Rich Asians

You may have bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket with dreams of becoming a billionaire. It turns out many individuals are reaching that level of wealth the old-fashioned way. The total number of billionaires is growing, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, reaching 2,158 individuals worldwide in 2017, a new study shows. Billionaire wealth grew by 19 percent to $8.9 trillion in 2017 — the largest increase historically, according to the latest report on billionaires from UBS and PwC.

Number of billionaires across subregions Region Subregion Number of billionaires 2016 Number of billionaires 2017 Asia Pacific 711 814 Greater China 418 475 Oceania 34 43 South East Asia 259 296 EMEA 586 629 Eastern Europe 147 163 Middle East and North Africa 42 52 Western Europe 397 414 Americas 682 715 Central and South America 83 84 North America 599 631 Total 1,979 2,158

That surge comes largely from two places: Asia, specifically China, and the U.S. The U.S. added 53 billionaires in 2017 — a 4 percent increase — bringing its total to 585 and representing $125 billion in total wealth. China's billionaire population grew at a faster clip — two new billionaires per week. The country added 106 billionaires over the course of the year, while 51 fell off the list, "illustrating the risks of doing business in China," the report said. As a result, China added 55 billionaires net for a total of 373 in 2017. In 2006, the country had just 16 billionaires.