Alex Birkenstock

Source of wealth: Shoes

57 years male Fashion & Retail 🇩🇪 DE

Net Worth

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Earnings per second

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The scale of their wealth

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Health

The price of life

Let's compare Alex Birkenstock's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

Alex Birkenstock could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.0 years.

But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country

On the other end, Alex Birkenstock could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.

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Education

Buying the future

Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country

Alex Birkenstock could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.6 years.

And yes, we can also compare it with a rich country

But they couldn't just cover the cost of a poor country; Luxembourg is considered the country with the highest per capita investment in education in the world, and Alex Birkenstock could pay for it entirely for 0.9 years.

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Research

The monopoly on progress

Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country

Alex Birkenstock could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.6 years.

And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide

But even if we compare the total wealth of Alex Birkenstock with Israel, the country that invests the most per capita in research in the world, they could cover the total cost of the system for 0.1 years.

While billions of people struggle to access basic healthcare, education, and research, a single individual could fund entire national systems for centuries.

Gold

Everyday luxuries

Alex Birkenstock's fortune is equivalent to 15 tons of gold. It's hard to process, since we don't usually keep a handful of gold bars in our piggy banks.

A standard gold ring usually weighs between 4 and 7 grams. Let's say this one weighs 5 grams. It's usually 18 karats.

Based on today's gold price (excluding the jeweler's commission, shipping, or anything else), that ring would be worth $549.34.

Alex Birkenstock could buy 3,872,686 gold rings. That's a lot of fingers and way too many gifts!!

And if you're struggling to visualize that many rings, it would take 1 trucks to transport them. Although Alex Birkenstock will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

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Biography

Alex Birkenstock is an heir to German footwear company Birkenstock, which traces its roots back to 1774.

The company began making its trademark sandals in the 1960s, under the leadership of Alex's father, Karl Birkenstock.

In 2002, Alex and his two brothers, Christian and Stephan, were given control of the company.

Stephan Birkenstock sold his stake to his two brothers in 2013 for an undisclosed amount.

In 2021, the brothers sold Birkenstock to L Catterton and Bernard Arnault's holding company for more than $4.5 billion. Christian rolled forward a stake then worth $300 million.