Aussies 10pc wealthier in a year PERSONAL wealth in Australia jumped by 10.4 per cent last year with the number of millionaire households increasing by 19 per cent from 149,000 to 178,000, according to Boston Consulting Group. The figures are based on cash and shares held directly or indirectly, including superannuation, but do not include business assets, luxury goods or the family home. The group's Global Wealth Report noted Australia had outperformed the global average, which moved up 7.8 per cent to $US135.5 trillion ($140 trillion). We are also part of the fastest-growing area, the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, which rose 13.8 per cent in the year. Even the lowest-growth area, the Middle East and Africa, was up 9.1 per cent. BCG spokesman Matthew Rogozinski said Australians had benefited from their high exposure to equities via super in a year when our sharemarket climbed by 15 per cent. "Equities account for just under 40 per cent of total wealth in Australia, which is significantly higher than other countries," he said. BCG estimates that 20 per cent of Australian household wealth is held in bonds and 41 per cent in cash and deposits. Mr Rogozinski said the outlook for Australian wealth was better than for other developed nations over the next few years, citing "stronger economic growth and investment, and less deleveraging by local households and businesses, particularly compared to the US and Europe." "We expect wealth in Australia to grow to $3.5 trillion by 2017, which represents compound annual growth of 4.7 per cent over the next five years," he said. This compared to 2.1 per cent in North America and 2.5 per cent for western Europe.