National wealth

National net wealth, also known as national net worth, is the total sum of the value of a nation's assets minus its liabilities. It refers to the total value of net wealth possessed by the citizens of a nation at a set point in time. This figure is an important indicator of a nation's ability to take on debt and sustain spending and is influenced not only by real estate prices, equity market prices, exchange rates, liabilities and incidence in a country of the adult population, but also human resources, natural resources and capital and technological advancements, which may create new assets or render others worthless in the future. The most significant component by far among most developed nations is commonly reported as household net wealth or worth and reflects infrastructure investment. National wealth can fluctuate, as evidenced in the United States data following the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent economic recovery. During periods when equity markets experienced strong growth, the relative national and per capita wealth of the countries where people are more exposed on those markets, such as the United States and United Kingdom, tend to rise. On the other hand, when equity markets are depressed, the relative wealth the countries where people invest more in real estate or bonds, such as France and Italy, tend to rise instead. In the following table are ranked the 30 countries by the largest national net wealth from 2000 to 2018 according to Credit Suisse S.A. (October 2018).