The world’s 100,000 “super-rich” last year extended their lead over the merely affluent, an authoritative study of the world’s wealthy has found.

Last year, the assets of those with more than $30m to invest – the so-called ultra-high net worth individuals – expanded by 16.8 per cent. By comparison, people with assets of $1m-$5m saw their wealth grow by 6.4 per cent.