Asia-Pacific millionaires are collectively worth more than their European counterparts for the first time, with the rich in China and India leading the way.

The report on high-net worth individuals (HNWIs) — defined as anyone with investible assets of at least one million US dollars — was issued by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and consultancy firm Capgemini.

The world’s population of HNWIs returned to 10 million in 2009, with the largest concentrations still found in the United States, Japan and Germany.

“The Asia-Pacific HNWI population rose 25.8 percent overall to three million, catching up with Europe for the first time, after falling 14.2 percent in 2008″.

Italy is the most expensive place in the world to berth a super-yacht, where it can cost up to €2,900 a night to moor a 24 metre-plus boat.

The Italian resorts of Capri, Porto Cervo and Portofino topped Wealth Bulletin’s annual survey of the most expensive resorts in the world to berth a super-yacht.

Experts say Italy has retained its allure as one of the most-visited superyacht communities in the world – underlining the price paid at luxury marinas like Porto Cervo in Sardinia.

However, prices can fluctuate wildly during peak times, especially in the famed South of France marinas of Monaco, St Tropez and Cannes.

The Hurun Research Institute published the 2010 Hurun Wealth Report today for the second consecutive year.

The report analyses the number and distribution of China’s wealthy across the nation’s major cities and provinces.

The report shows that there are 875,000 people with more than RMB 10million (EUR 1.1M / USD 1.47M) in China today, an increase of 6.1% from last year.

This growth has occurred against a background of strong economic performance in China‘s economy.

GDP grew by 8.7% in 2009 to RMB 33.5trillion, and the Shanghai Composite Index rose over the same period from 2300 points to 3000, an increase of 30%.

The world’s new richest man, Mexican Carlos Slim, and a fresh crop of billionaires in Asia helped lead a comeback for the wealthiest few on the planet in 2010, Forbes magazine said Wednesday.

The publication’s annual rich list reflected a resurgence of wealth after the financial turmoil of 2009, with the top 10 wealthiest worth a combined 342 billion dollars, compared to 254 billion dollars in the previous year.

“The global economy is recovering. The financial markets came back, especially emerging markets,” said magazine editor-in-chief Steve Forbes.

“There’s a 50 percent increase in general global wealth compared to last year,” Forbes said.

Certainly the economy recovered for the super rich, who took a beating during last year’s stock and commodity market collapses, but saw across-the-board gains this year.

Forbes counted 1,011 billionaires from 55 countries, up from 793 last year, though still shy of the pre-crisis 1,125 listed in 2008.

The top 10 richest people in the world have a combined worth of 342 billion dollars in 2010, up from 254 billion a year ago.

Here are the 20 wealthiest, as announced Wednesday by Forbes magazine in its annual list of the world’s billionaires:

1. Carlos Slim Helu and family. Mexico. Telecoms. 53.5 billion dollars.

2. Bill Gates. US. Microsoft. 53 billion dollars.

3. Warren Buffett. US. Berkshire Hathaway. 47 billion dollars.

The Hurun “Best of the Best” 2010 Awards for preferred brands of China’s  richest consumers were announced yesterday by Hurun Report.

The luxury business magazine is renowned for its annual “China Rich List”

In its sixth edition Hurun surveyed 383 mainland millionaires, each with assets of at least RMB 10 million ($1.5 million).

Among them 66 people have assets of at least RMB 100 million (USD 15 million).