Globe's Super Rich Getting Super Richer

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Economic crisis and political upheaval have done little to slow the growing wealth of the world's wealthiest individuals.

A new study estimates there are now 98,700 "ultra high net worth individuals" in the world with more than $50 million in assets, a 10 percent increase from estimates a year ago. In the world's richest club, 33,900 are worth at least $100 million and 3,100 have assets above $500 million, according to the latest Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report.

"While there is little reliable information on trends over time in the wealth pyramid data, it seems almost certain that wealth has been growing faster in the top strata of the wealth pyramid since at least the year 2000, and that this trend is continuing," the report concludes.

Total global wealth now stands at $241 trillion, up 4.9 percent from a year ago, but the number of millionaires rose to 31.4 million, a 6.1 percent jump from a year earlier.

The United States is home to 45 percent of the ultra high net worth individuals, a total of 45,650 people, eight times more than second place China with 5.9 percent of the global total. Germany was in third place on the UNHNW list, but Switzerland moved past Japan to place fourth on the Credit Suisse list.

The number of UHNW individuals rose significantly in Canada, Hong Kong and Russia, as well as Turkey, Brazil, Taiwan and Korea.

North America also dominates the wider group of millionaires, accounting for 45 percent of the global total, followed Europe with 32 percent and Asia-Pacific with 17 percent.

Credit Suisse predicts the accumulation of growth is going to continue. The number of millionaires is expected to exceed 47 million by 2018, an almost 50 percent increase. China could see the number of millionaires double by 2018.

"Pushed by Brazil (an extra 186,000) and Mexico (an extra 87,000), we also expect a substantial increase in the number of millionaires in Latin America, which will reach almost 1 million in five years' time," the report concludes.

The report also spotlights the growing disparity between the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy. Two-thirds of adults in the world have wealth below $10,000 and together account for a mere 3 percent of global wealth, while the 32 million millionaires own 41 percent of the world's assets.