The Asia/Pacific region will have more high net worth individuals, or those with $1m of investable assets, than any other region in the world by the end of next year, according to research from consultancy Booz & Company.

As many as 3.6m of HNW individuals are expected to live in the Asia/Pacific region next year, compared with 2.6m in 2008. That's 2% more than in the US and 6% more than in Europe, the research found. Booze estimates the global high net worth population at 11 million by the end of 2011.