Barry Sternlicht
Source of wealth: Private equity
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Barry Sternlicht's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Barry Sternlicht could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.4 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Barry Sternlicht could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.6 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Barry Sternlicht could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.9 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 Barry Sternlicht could pay for it entirely for 1.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Barry Sternlicht could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 5.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Barry Sternlicht 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.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Barry Sternlicht's fortune is equivalent to 21 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 $546.86.
Barry Sternlicht could buy 5,642,332 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 Barry Sternlicht will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Barry Sternlicht runs Starwood Capital Group, a private equity firm that specializes in real estate investments.
Starwood Capital has $125 billion of gross assets under management, making it one of the world's biggest real estate investors.
Sternlicht founded Starwood Capital in 1991 and later started the W hotel chain and Starwood Property Trust, one of the biggest mortgage REITs.
Sternlicht has sponsored five SPACs since 2020, including one that took senior care provider Cano Health public in June 2021.
In 2025, Starwood received approval to open an office in Dubai as it plans to invest across the Gulf.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison