Notes on global wealth

| October 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

By epSos.de on Flickr

We learn some interesting things from Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth Report, published last week. It was interesting to read that, according to their estimates, the financial crisis was no more than a modest setback; aggregate wealth still doubled from $113 trillion recorded in late 2000 to $231 trillion in the middle of this year. This translates to $51,000 per every adult in the world.

The top of the heap remains an exclusive club.

To belong to the top 10% of the global wealthy one must have at least $82,000 in assets, net of debt. To be a member of the top 1% one must have more than $712,000 in net assets.

Flipping this around, we learn that the richest 10% own 84% of the world’s wealth. On their own the top 1% have 44% of global assets.

And this shocking fact: the bottom half of the global population together possess barely 1% of global wealth. Some interesting diagrams follow.

 

Europe just beat out North America this year in the share of high-net worth individuals (net assets > $1 million) to which it plays home: 37.2% to 37%. Relative currency values played a role here.

However the U.S. was leaps and bounds away from other countries in the number of ultra high-net worth individuals it had, each of whom had  net assets of $50 million or more.

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Category: wealth

  • http://www.educated-exec.com Philip Walker

    Is it me or do the Russians seem strangely far down the UHNW list, and the Swiss peculiarly high up it?

    • http://www.financeaddict.com Finance Addict

      Hi Phillip,

      The Swiss powered ahead due to the strength of the Swiss franc these past years. I haven’t kept tabs on the rouble, so not sure if that weakness is due to currency movements as well or another factor. (Or maybe the oli-garch well is running dry.)

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