Canada Billionaire count: 40 Total wealth: $105 billion With 40 billionaires, Canada is home to the eighth largest population of ultra-rich individuals, or those with $30 million or more in total assets. Billionaires account for only 0.8 percent of Canada’s ultra-rich population, but own nearly 18 percent of the combined wealth of $595 billion in this category. The country’s ultra-wealthy population, however, did see its combined wealth decrease by 4 percent between August 2011 and July 31, 2012, while the number of people in the group also fell nearly 4 percent. Weakness in the global equity markets and fears of the possible spillover effects from a slowdown in the U.S., which is Canada's largest trading partner, are some of the major reasons behind the wealthy’s decreasing fortunes, according to Wealth-X. For example, Canada’s richest person, billionaire media magnate David Thomson (pictured) who along with his family owns Thomson Reuters, saw his and his family’s net worth fall by $5.5 billion in the year to March 2012 due to a nearly 30 percent drop in the company’s share price, according to Forbes. Thompson, 55, is now the 35th richest man in the world, down from 17th in 2011.