HONG KONG, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- With per capita GDP standing high above 24,000 U.S. dollars, the number of millionaires in Hong Kong accounts for 5.3 percent of its adult population, according to a Citibank survey.

    A total of 274,000 people in Hong Kong are millionaires each with more than 1 million HK dollars (129,032 U.S. dollars) in liquid assets, newspaper Standard Friday quoted the survey results as saying.

    The figure means that there are 5 millionaires in every 100 Hong Kong adults, or 3.9 percent of the city's total population of 6.97 million.

    On average, each millionaire held about 4 million HK dollars (516,129 U.S. dollars) in liquid assets last year, higher than the previous year's 3.4 million HK dollars (438,706 U.S. dollars).

    The survey showed that the millionaires' assets were shared almost equally by both genders, with female millionaires occupying 49 percent of the pie.

    The spread of the wealth, however, is less even geographically.

    In all, 49 percent of the city's millionaires live on the Hong Kong Island, where most government institutions and multi-national company offices are located.

    This means that one out of 7 people on the island is millionaire.

    In Kowloon, a peninsula facing Hong Kong Island across the Victoria Harbor, the density of millionaires drops to one in every 35 people.

    In New Territory, the northern part of Hong Kong connecting with the mainland, one out of every 28 people is millionaire.

    The Citibank started the annual survey of millionaire population in Hong Kong in 2003.

    The latest survey showed that more than half of Hong Kong millionaires believe that the city is an ideal place for retirement. Enditem