2009 World Wealth Report finds record decline in high net worth individuals globally in 2008. It also projects Asia-Pacific will overtake North America as the region with greatest millionaire wealth by 2013.

HNWI POPULATION AND WEALTH CONTRACT SIGNIFICANTLY

• At the end of 2008, the • world’s population of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) was down 14.9% from the year before, while their wealth had dropped 19.5%. The unprecedented declines wiped out two robust years of growth in 2006 and 2007, reducing both the HNWI population and its wealth to below levels seen at the close of 2005.
• Ultra-HNWIs suffered more extensive losses in financial wealth than the HNWI population as a whole. The Ultra-HNWI population fell 24.6%, as the group’s wealth dropped 23.9%, pushing many down into the ‘mid-tier millionaire’ pool.
• The global HNWI population is still concentrated, but the ranks are shifting. The U.S., Japan and Germany together accounted for 54.0% of the world’s HNWI population in 2008, up very slightly from 53.3% in 2007. China’s HNWI population surpassed that of the U.K. to become the fourth largest in the world. Hong Kong’s HNWI population shrank the most in percentage terms (down 61.3%).
• HNWI wealth is forecast to start growing again as the global economy recovers. By 2013, we forecast global HNWI financial wealth to recover to $48.5 trillion, after advancing at a sustained annual rate of 8.1%. By 2013, we expect Asia-Pacific to overtake North America as the largest region for HNWI financial wealth.

Visit 2009 World Wealth Report Download Page

You can download World Wealth Report 2009 in PDF format.

2008 ushered in an unprecedented global downturn that originated in 2007. What started as a financial crisis soon expanded into the larger economy, affecting mature and emerging markets alike. World equity markets lost a decade of gains, and volatility reached record levels.

Our 2008 findings show HNWIs began to lose trust in the markets, regulators, and, in some cases, their financial advisory firms. They also extended their allocations to safer investments—a trend that had its inception a year earlier. As a result, our research shows, cash and fixed-income instruments now make up 50% of HNWIs’ portfolios overall, and many HNWIs have retreated to familiar domestic markets.

Restoring trust and confidence in the markets and the industry are resounding themes as we move forward. Our Spotlight identifies the trends and forces driving HNWI client behavior and focuses on specific opportunities that wealth management firms and Advisors can pursue directly to help craft mutually value-creating relationships moving forward into the future.

We are pleased to present this year’s Report, and hope you find continued value in its insights.

Dan Sontag
President
Global Wealth Management
Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
Bertrand Lavayssière
Managing Director
Global Financial Services
Capgemini

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