News release: “The inaugural Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013, released today, reveals that the global billionaire population reached a record 2,170 individuals in 2013 and total billionaire wealth in Asia surged nearly 13 percent, making it the fastest-growing region. At current growth rates, the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013, the first-ever comprehensive global study on this ultra wealth tier, forecasts that Asia will catch up with North America in five years. Asia also saw the highest percentage rise in billionaire population (3.7% from 2012) and total wealth (13%) in 2013, suggesting that it is driving the tectonic shifts in wealth globally. The report also shows that 810 individuals became billionaires since the 2009 global financial crisis. The billionaire population’s combined net worth more than doubled from US$3.1 trillion in 2009 to US$6.5 trillion in 2013 – enough to fund the United States budget deficit until 2024, and greater than the GDP of every country except the United States and China. The report – which looks at the global billionaire population from July 2012 to June 2013 – examines this tier of the ultra affluent population by region, country, gender and the sources of their wealth.”