Wealth

New York tops billionaire birth list

By Hamza Ali, special to CNBC.com
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More billionaires have been born in New York City than in any other city in the world, according new research by U.K.-based luxury magazine Spear's and research company WealthInsight.

One in forty of the world's billionaires were born in the American city - more than double the next most prolific billionaire-producing cities, London and Moscow.

According to data from WealthInsight's database of 100,000 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), New York produced a whopping 52 of the worlds' billionaires, followed by Moscow with 22 and London at 21.

New York, New York
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"New York not only tops the list for billionaire birth rates, it was also the birthplace of the world's first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller," said WealthInsight analyst Oliver Williams in a statement.

"Today, more billionaires were born in New York than any other city in the world, proving that the Big Apple has enjoyed almost a century of inspiring successful future entrepreneurs."

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Although the birthplaces of the world's HNWIs span the globe, on a country-specific level it was far more concentrated.

Some 40 percent of the U.K.'s billionaires where born in London, and almost 20 percent of the U.S.' billionaires hail from New York.

The Big Apple's topping the list for billionaire births came as no surprise to Spear's Editor Josh Spero, who said in a statement: "If you're going to be an entrepreneur or an innovator, there are few better places."