Number of high net worth individuals and their wealth hit new highs. Strong economic and equity market performance helped create nearly a million (920,000) new millionaires globally in 2014, as High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) grew in both number and wealth to 14.6 million and US$56.4 trillion, respectively according to the World Wealth Report 2015 (WWR) released today by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management. These figures represent an increase of about seven percent, roughly half the growth rate of the previous year. While the vast majority of the HNWI population and wealth is relatively evenly distributed between North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, the Asia-Pacific region grew at the fastest rate (+9% as opposed to +8% for North America and +4% for Europe) and is now home to more HNWIs than any other region. North America continues to rank first overall for HNWI wealth at US$16.2 trillion vs. Asia-Pacific's US$15.8 trillion and Europe's US$13.0 trillion. Nonetheless, Asia-Pacific is expected to take top spot for HNWI wealth before the end of 2015. Asia-Pacific also expanded its HNWI population at the fastest rate globally, pushing it past North America (4.68 million) and Europe (4.0 million), as the region with the most HNWIs at 4.69 million. It should be pointed out Latin America is the only region with a decline in HNWI population (-2 percent) and wealth (-0.5 percent) in 2014. From a country-level perspective, China and the US drove more than half (52 percent) of global HNWI population growth. India led the world in growth for both HNWI population (26 percent) and wealth (28 percent). China followed, with population and wealth growth rates of 17 percent and 19 percent, respectively. The report illustrates that HNWIs continue to hold more than one-quarter (26 percent) of their wealth in cash, doing so primarily to maintain their lifestyle (36 percent) or for security in case of market volatility (31 percent). The balance of portfolios was allocated to real estate (20 percent), fixed income (16 percent) and alternative investments (10 percent). Looking ahead, Capgemini and RBC state that global HNWI wealth is projected to grow by almost eight percent annually from the end of 2014 through to 2017, to reach US $70.5 trillion, led by Asia-Pacific at an anticipated growth rate of 10.3 percent. In a shift from recent years, Europe is expected to act as a more prominent engine of HNWI wealth expansion at 8.4 percent annually, as a result of improved optimism for a more substantial recovery throughout the region, while the wealth of HNWIs in North America is anticipated to grow by a more modest seven percent. (Original version in French by Isabelle Lamberty)