A key metric of wealth inequality in the United States has reached levels unknown since the Great Depression, a new study into global finances has found. It was also revealed that almost half of the assets in the world are owned by just 0.7 per cent of the world's population, as the world's economy powers ahead. The new data has raised the specter of a new catastrophic economic failure, of a parallel with the banking crashes of 2008 or the dot-com bubble in 2000. As a sign of wealth concentration, the number of dollar millionaires globally has shot up 164 per cent since 2000 to 34.8million individuals today - with 41 per cent of them living in the United States. Scroll down for video . Danger sign: The ratio of wealth to income in the U.S. - a significant measure of inequality - can be seen peaking in the Great Depression, and approaching the same level again in 2014 . Authors of the report, by investment bank Credit Suisse, described the results as 'a worrying signal' which could lead to a new recession. The report, by three international economic experts, presented data comparing levels of wealth in the country with its disposable income. High levels of wealth - associated with millionaires, company owners and major shareholders - tend to be a sign the rich are doing well. High levels of income, meanwhile, are associated with wage earners and more even gains. The latest figures show that the ratio of wealth and disposable income is now at 6.5. A more normal figure is 4 or 5. Since records began, the figure has only been higher during the period directly following the 1929 Wall St Crash, when it hit around 7.2. Discussing the results, the authors said: 'This is a worrying signal given that abnormally high wealth income ratios have always signaled recession in the past.' It came at a time of unprecedented global productivity - with the U.S. ramping up its wealth total by $12.9trillion in the 2013 calendar year. This is the largest gain on record and more than the entire amount of money lost in the 2008 crash. But the report also showed that, despite gains in wealth practically in every part of the world, the results are still far from equal. Top of the pile: The chat above shows that the world's millionaires - just 35million people - control an enormous share of global wealth - more than 15 times the amount owned by the poorest 3.3billion . It found that the world's millionaires, who make up 0.7 per cent of the world's adults, now control 44 per cent of global assets - some $116trillion. More than 40 per cent of the group - some 35million people - are U.S. citizens. The next-richest 7.9 per cent - 373million people - are in charge of 41.3 per cent of global wealth. That leaves just 14.7 per cent of all wealth on the planet to its other 4.3billion adult inhabitants. The poorest segment of the world population - the 3.28billion with less than $10,000 to their name - have just 2.9 per cent of global wealth between them, while the 1billion richer than they control around 12 per cent of global funds. Wealth per adult: The richest nations, with wealth per adult over $100,000 (£63,000), are found in North America, Western Europe and among the rich Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern countries (in red) Global wealth skyrocketed 8.3 per cent over the past year to a record $263trillion (£165trillion), a report revealed today. But the research by Credit Suisse found the distribution of the riches has become increasingly unequal - with the median wealth plunging 14 per cent since 2007 to $3,641 (£2,289) per adult. Global wealth now stands 20 per cent above the peak before the global financial crisis and 39 per cent above the low seen at the height of the crisis in 2008, according to the Global Wealth Report. Rising: Global wealth now stands 20 per cent above the peak before the global financial crisis and 39 per cent above the low seen at the height of the crisis in 2008, according to the Global Wealth Report . It said: ‘The overall global economy may remain sluggish, but this has not prevented personal wealth from surging ahead during the past year.’ The study of the wealth holdings of 4.7billion adults in more than 200 countries found aggregate household wealth has more than doubled since 2000, when it stood at $117trillion (£74trillion). And in the next five years, wealth is expected to rise by 40 per cent to $369trillion (£231trillion). Today, each adult has an average of $56,000 ($35,000) - an all-time high for average net worth. The decline in the median to $3,641 - the level at which half of the sample is lower and half higher - indicates that inequality, which remained flat or declined from 2000 to 2007, is once again rising. Distribution: Credit Suisse said it expected the number of global millionaires to exceed 53million in 2019, with the number in China expected to nearly double from its 1.18million today . Increasing: China's share of the middle class has doubled since 2000 and now accounts for one third of people in that category . ‘The findings show that inequality has tended to rise since 2008, particularly in developing economies,’ Markus Stierli of the Credit Suisse Research Institute said. The study credits most of the rise in wealth over the past year to North America, which accounts for 34.7 per cent of global household wealth, and Europe, which accounts for 32.4 per cent. Both regions showed hikes of about 11 per cent. In contrast, Latin America saw little change, while China recorded only a small rise of around 3.5 per cent, and India saw its wealth fall 1 per cent. On a country level, Britain, South Korea and Denmark recorded the largest percentage gains, while Ukraine, Argentina and Indonesia saw the largest losses, it said. Switzerland meanwhile maintained the highest average wealth per adult, at $581,000 (£365,000), followed by Australia, Norway, the U.S. and Sweden. Compared: Europe and the North America showed hikes in wealth over the past year of about 11 per cent. In contrast, Latin America saw little change, while China recorded only a small rise of around 3.5 per cent . Split up: The study of the wealth holdings of 4.7billion adults in more than 200 countries found aggregate household wealth has more than doubled since 2000, when it stood at $117trillion (£74trillion) Top of the charts: Switzerland maintained the highest average wealth per adult, at $581,000 (£365,000) Some 128,000 of the world's millionaires have assets of at least $50million (£31million), with nearly half of them living in the U.S. and nearly a quarter in Europe. Credit Suisse said it expected the number of global millionaires to exceed 53million in 2019, with the number in China expected to nearly double from its 1.18million today. Some one billion people meanwhile belong to the global middle class, with wealth ranging from $10,000 (£6,000) to $100,000 (£63,000), the study showed. China's share of the middle class has doubled since 2000 and now accounts for one third of people in that category, it said. TABLE: Top ten countries with the highest average wealth per adult in mid-2014 (USD) Ranking . Country . Average wealth per adult(in USD) Change since mid-2013 (%) 1 . Switzerland . 581,000 . 10.5% . 2 . Australia . 431,000 . 5.0% . 3 . Norway . 359,000 . -4.0% . 4 . United States . 348,000 . 10.6% . 5 . Sweden . 333,000 . 4.8% . 6 . France . 317,000 . 9.1% . 7 . Belgium . 301,000 . 11.7% . 8 . Denmark . 293,000 . 16.1% . 9 . United Kingdom . 293,000 . 18.3% . 10 . Singapore . 290,000 . 2.0% .
Ratio of wealth to income in the United States is now at a 'worrying' 6.5 .
Level is so severe it has not been seen since the early 1930s .
New report by investment bank Credit Suisse seized on 'worrying' metric .
Also found that just 0.7% of the world's population have 44% of the wealth .
Report shows global wealth has soared by 8.3% in past year .
Nearly 35m people across the globe are millionaires - 41 per cent of them living in the United States .
A key metric of wealth inequality in the United States has reached levels unknown since the Great Depression, a new study into global finances has found. It was also revealed that almost half of the assets in the world are owned by just 0.7 per cent of the world's population, as the world's economy powers ahead. The new data has raised the specter of a new catastrophic economic failure, of a parallel with the banking crashes of 2008 or the dot-com bubble in 2000. As a sign of wealth concentration, the number of dollar millionaires globally has shot up 164 per cent since 2000 to 34.8million individuals today - with 41 per cent of them living in the United States. Scroll down for video . Danger sign: The ratio of wealth to income in the U.S. - a significant measure of inequality - can be seen peaking in the Great Depression, and approaching the same level again in 2014 . Authors of the report, by investment bank Credit Suisse, described the results as 'a worrying signal' which could lead to a new recession. The report, by three international economic experts, presented data comparing levels of wealth in the country with its disposable income. High levels of wealth - associated with millionaires, company owners and major shareholders - tend to be a sign the rich are doing well. High levels of income, meanwhile, are associated with wage earners and more even gains. The latest figures show that the ratio of wealth and disposable income is now at 6.5. A more normal figure is 4 or 5. Since records began, the figure has only been higher during the period directly following the 1929 Wall St Crash, when it hit around 7.2. Discussing the results, the authors said: 'This is a worrying signal given that abnormally high wealth income ratios have always signaled recession in the past.' It came at a time of unprecedented global productivity - with the U.S. ramping up its wealth total by $12.9trillion in the 2013 calendar year. This is the largest gain on record and more than the entire amount of money lost in the 2008 crash. But the report also showed that, despite gains in wealth practically in every part of the world, the results are still far from equal. Top of the pile: The chat above shows that the world's millionaires - just 35million people - control an enormous share of global wealth - more than 15 times the amount owned by the poorest 3.3billion . It found that the world's millionaires, who make up 0.7 per cent of the world's adults, now control 44 per cent of global assets - some $116trillion. More than 40 per cent of the group - some 35million people - are U.S. citizens. The next-richest 7.9 per cent - 373million people - are in charge of 41.3 per cent of global wealth. That leaves just 14.7 per cent of all wealth on the planet to its other 4.3billion adult inhabitants. The poorest segment of the world population - the 3.28billion with less than $10,000 to their name - have just 2.9 per cent of global wealth between them, while the 1billion richer than they control around 12 per cent of global funds. Wealth per adult: The richest nations, with wealth per adult over $100,000 (£63,000), are found in North America, Western Europe and among the rich Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern countries (in red) Global wealth skyrocketed 8.3 per cent over the past year to a record $263trillion (£165trillion), a report revealed today. But the research by Credit Suisse found the distribution of the riches has become increasingly unequal - with the median wealth plunging 14 per cent since 2007 to $3,641 (£2,289) per adult. Global wealth now stands 20 per cent above the peak before the global financial crisis and 39 per cent above the low seen at the height of the crisis in 2008, according to the Global Wealth Report. Rising: Global wealth now stands 20 per cent above the peak before the global financial crisis and 39 per cent above the low seen at the height of the crisis in 2008, according to the Global Wealth Report . It said: ‘The overall global economy may remain sluggish, but this has not prevented personal wealth from surging ahead during the past year.’ The study of the wealth holdings of 4.7billion adults in more than 200 countries found aggregate household wealth has more than doubled since 2000, when it stood at $117trillion (£74trillion). And in the next five years, wealth is expected to rise by 40 per cent to $369trillion (£231trillion). Today, each adult has an average of $56,000 ($35,000) - an all-time high for average net worth. The decline in the median to $3,641 - the level at which half of the sample is lower and half higher - indicates that inequality, which remained flat or declined from 2000 to 2007, is once again rising. Distribution: Credit Suisse said it expected the number of global millionaires to exceed 53million in 2019, with the number in China expected to nearly double from its 1.18million today . Increasing: China's share of the middle class has doubled since 2000 and now accounts for one third of people in that category . ‘The findings show that inequality has tended to rise since 2008, particularly in developing economies,’ Markus Stierli of the Credit Suisse Research Institute said. The study credits most of the rise in wealth over the past year to North America, which accounts for 34.7 per cent of global household wealth, and Europe, which accounts for 32.4 per cent. Both regions showed hikes of about 11 per cent. In contrast, Latin America saw little change, while China recorded only a small rise of around 3.5 per cent, and India saw its wealth fall 1 per cent. On a country level, Britain, South Korea and Denmark recorded the largest percentage gains, while Ukraine, Argentina and Indonesia saw the largest losses, it said. Switzerland meanwhile maintained the highest average wealth per adult, at $581,000 (£365,000), followed by Australia, Norway, the U.S. and Sweden. Compared: Europe and the North America showed hikes in wealth over the past year of about 11 per cent. In contrast, Latin America saw little change, while China recorded only a small rise of around 3.5 per cent . Split up: The study of the wealth holdings of 4.7billion adults in more than 200 countries found aggregate household wealth has more than doubled since 2000, when it stood at $117trillion (£74trillion) Top of the charts: Switzerland maintained the highest average wealth per adult, at $581,000 (£365,000) Some 128,000 of the world's millionaires have assets of at least $50million (£31million), with nearly half of them living in the U.S. and nearly a quarter in Europe. Credit Suisse said it expected the number of global millionaires to exceed 53million in 2019, with the number in China expected to nearly double from its 1.18million today. Some one billion people meanwhile belong to the global middle class, with wealth ranging from $10,000 (£6,000) to $100,000 (£63,000), the study showed. China's share of the middle class has doubled since 2000 and now accounts for one third of people in that category, it said. TABLE: Top ten countries with the highest average wealth per adult in mid-2014 (USD) Ranking . Country . Average wealth per adult(in USD) Change since mid-2013 (%) 1 . Switzerland . 581,000 . 10.5% . 2 . Australia . 431,000 . 5.0% . 3 . Norway . 359,000 . -4.0% . 4 . United States . 348,000 . 10.6% . 5 . Sweden . 333,000 . 4.8% . 6 . France . 317,000 . 9.1% . 7 . Belgium . 301,000 . 11.7% . 8 . Denmark . 293,000 . 16.1% . 9 . United Kingdom . 293,000 . 18.3% . 10 . Singapore . 290,000 . 2.0% .
A key metric of wealth inequality in the United the assets in the world are owned by just 0.7 per cent of the world's population, as the world's of them living in the United States. Scroll down in 2014 . Authors of the report, by investment bank Credit Suisse, described the results as 'a and disposable income is now at 6.5. A more . It found that the world's millionaires, who control 44 per cent of global assets - some skyrocketed 8.3 per cent over the past year to a wealth has more than doubled since 2000, when it