Hong Kong has ranked first as the most popular destination for outbound investment among high-net-worth (HNW) individuals in the country for three consecutive years, according to a report released on Thursday.

Thirty-seven percent of HNW people place Hong Kong as their top priority when they invest outside the Chinese mainland, followed by Singapore, 36 percent, the Hurun Research Institute’s report shows.

The United States takes third place with 29 percent of the group opting to invest in the country. The Middle East also gains popularity with 20 percent.

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China boasts 2.08 million families whose net assets have reached 10 million yuan ($1.38 million). The number of affluent families with over 100 million yuan in net assets has reached 133,000, while that of super-rich families owning net assets of no less than 217 million yuan has hit 88,000.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is home to the country’s highest number of HNW families. Hong Kong has 210,000 such families, followed by Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which have 79,000 and 73,000, respectively, according to the report.

Most HNW individuals, or 86 percent, have plans to invest outside the mainland within the next year. They say they would like to put an average of 16 percent of their investable assets outside the mainland.

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Nearly half of assets outside the mainland are invested in stocks and foreign currency. Properties and insurance come after, with 19.2 percent and 18.9 percent, respectively.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com