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Top 15 Countries Where The Super-Rich Population Is Projected To Spike

Countries Where The Super-Rich Population Is Exploding
TO GO WITH NUCLEAR SEASIA-ECONOMY-ENERGY-NUCLEAR BY BERNICE HAN In this photograph taken June 8, 2010 shows central Jakarta's night skyline. Despite safety fears, Southeast Asia's energy-hungry economies are exploring the nuclear option to keep up with escalating power demand in a region with more than half a billion people. Experts say plans by various Southeast Asian nations to consider nuclear power plants for civilian purposes are driven by the practical need to have a more balanced range of supply to meet long-term needs.Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand are all looking into nuclear energy in a bid to end their dependence on power plans powered by fossil fuels. AFP PHOTO / BAY ISMOYO (Photo credit should read BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)
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TO GO WITH NUCLEAR SEASIA-ECONOMY-ENERGY-NUCLEAR BY BERNICE HAN In this photograph taken June 8, 2010 shows central Jakarta's night skyline. Despite safety fears, Southeast Asia's energy-hungry economies are exploring the nuclear option to keep up with escalating power demand in a region with more than half a billion people. Experts say plans by various Southeast Asian nations to consider nuclear power plants for civilian purposes are driven by the practical need to have a more balanced range of supply to meet long-term needs.Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand are all looking into nuclear energy in a bid to end their dependence on power plans powered by fossil fuels. AFP PHOTO / BAY ISMOYO (Photo credit should read BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Some people are making a fortune in the unlikeliest places -- like Iraq and Zimbabwe.

Though the U.S. has the most billionaires in the world, a number of developing countries are minting new wealth, according to a new report released Wednesday by Knight Frank, a property consulting firm. The report, citing the wealth research firm Wealth-X, found that the number of billionaires in Africa, Latin America and Asia is projected to more than double over the next ten years.

The countries with the most projected growth in the number of high-net-worth individuals -- that is, people with a net worth of more than $30 million -- may surprise you. Many of these countries don't have many super-rich people to begin with, and so big gains in the percentage of super-rich residents may translate into small actual numbers.

But this projected uptick in the number of wealthy people suggests that some of these countries may escape poverty someday. (Or not, depending on how these newly rich people make their money. Some people can make a fortune through corruption, and that's not a good harbinger of economic growth.)

Check out the top 15 countries where the super-rich population is projected to jump:

15. Sri Lanka

Where The Super-Rich Population Is Exploding

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