Benu Gopal Bangur
Source of wealth: Cement
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Benu Gopal Bangur's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Benu Gopal Bangur could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Benu Gopal Bangur could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Benu Gopal Bangur could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.8 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 Benu Gopal Bangur could pay for it entirely for 2.4 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Benu Gopal Bangur could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Benu Gopal Bangur 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 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Benu Gopal Bangur's fortune is equivalent to 41 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.
Benu Gopal Bangur could buy 10,998,635 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 2 trucks to transport them. Although Benu Gopal Bangur will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Cement czar Benu Gopal Bangur gets his wealth from a majority stake in Shree Cement, one of India's most cost-efficient cement producers.
Shree, which was started in 1979 in Jaipur, sells branded cement under the names of Shree Ultra Jung Rodhak, Bangur Cement and Rockstrong.
Bangur hails from a storied business clan in Kolkata and got control of Shree Cement in the 1990s after a family split.
Today the company is run by his son Hari Mohan, who was appointed chairman in 2022 after Bangur stepped down. His grandson Prashant is vice chairman.
In October 2024, Shree Cement signed an agreement with the Indian government's internal trade department to help manufacturing startups with financial support.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison