SYDNEY, Oct. 15-- Australians are the richest people in the world thanks to high property prices, according to a study released on Wednesday by investment bank Credit Suisse.

The study of global wealth trends found the median Australian adult was worth more than 225,000 U.S. dollars in June, ahead of the second wealthiest population, the Belgians, at 173,000 US dollars.

They were followed by the Italians, French and British, all about 110,000 U.S. dollars, according to the Swiss bank's Global Wealth Report.

Only 6 percent of Australians have wealth below 10,000 U.S. dollars compared with 29 percent in the United States and 70 percent for the world as a whole.

Household wealth in Australia is based on property assets, which average 319,700 U.S. dollars per household, or 60 percent of gross assets. This is the second highest in the world after Norway.

The value of Australians has soared over the past 14 years. In 2000, the net wealth of the average adult Australian was 103,151 U. S. dollars.