The world's richest one per cent own half the planet's wealth

A new report from Credit Suisse has shown that the world's richest one per cent now holds half of the planet's wealth - while the bottom half owns less than one per cent.

The Global Wealth Report found that to be counted among the world's wealthiest ten per cent, an individual would need to possess $68,800 (£44,500), while those in the top one per cent would need (£492,000).

The report, which examined wealth in more than 200 countries, also revealed that for the first time, the middle class in China - with 109 million adults - became the world’s largest, overtaking the US which has 92 million adults in the same category.

Read the Independent's full report on the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report here

More: Three highly depressing charts on the extent of global wealth inequality