States home to millions of millionaires

NEW ZEALAND may be one of the top-rated countries for expats, but it falls well behind when it comes to millionaires.

According to the 2015 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, the United States has by far the most millionaires in the world – 15.7 million. Second was the United Kingdom with 2.4 million and Japan was third with 2.1 million.

Wealth in the US rose for the seventh year in a row, increasing by US$4.6 trillion ($6.8 trillion) over the past year.

In more than 27 countries wealth fell, with New Zealand decreasing in household wealth by almost 20 per cent.

Overall, world wealth declined by 4.7 per cent in the year to mid2015 but total wealth has doubled since 2000, with a five-fold rise in China.

The report predicted the number of millionaires worldwide to rise by around 46 per cent in the next five years, with China expected to see the largest percentage increase followed by Africa.

The Asia Pacific region, including New Zealand and Australia, was expected to see an increase of 64 per cent in the number of millionaires in the next five years.

Based on the latest Forbes rich list, Bill Gates was still the richest person in the world with a net worth of US$79.2 billion ($117.8b).

Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu was second with a net worth of US$77.1b ($114.6b). Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was 16th, Richard Branson was 330th and the richest woman in the world, Christy Walton, was 8th.

In comparison, New Zealand’s richest man was Graeme Hart according to the National Business

2015 Rich List, worth $9b. The 180 New Zealand families and individuals on the list have a combined value of $55b.

Among celebrities, Floyd Mayweather ranked first with a net worth of US$300m, Manny Pacquiao was second with US$160m and Katy Perry third with US$135m.