Hong Kong  - Around 66,000 people fell out of the Hong-Kong- dollar millionaire bracket in 2008 as shares prices plunged because of the global economic meltdown, according to a survey published Friday.

The number of people in the affluent former British colony with 1 million Hong Kong dollars (129,000 US dollars) in liquid assets fell from 414,000 in 2007 to 348,000 in 2008, the survey found.

Assets of the average millionaire fell from 4.6 million Hong Kong dollars (590,000 US dollars) to 3.4 million Hong Kong dollars (438,000 US dollars) as the Hang Seng Index shed more than half its value over the course of 2008.

Between them, Hong Kong millionaires saw a collective 93 billion US dollars wiped off their liquid assets, with 72 per cent of millionaires losing money chiefly because of declining stock prices.

Among the wealthier of Hong Kong's millionaires, those with 5 million Hong Kong dollars (645,000 US dollars) or more in liquid assets fell by 36 per cent from around 67,000 to 43,000, the survey found.

More than 3,000 wealthy people in the city of 6.9 million were interviewed for the Citibank survey, which was published in Friday's South China Morning Post newspaper. (dpa)