The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Chang Kuo-Hua's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Chang Kuo-Hua could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.3 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Chang Kuo-Hua 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
Chang Kuo-Hua could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.8 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 Chang Kuo-Hua 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
Chang Kuo-Hua could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Chang Kuo-Hua 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
Chang Kuo-Hua's fortune is equivalent to 20 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.
Chang Kuo-Hua could buy 5,272,528 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 Chang Kuo-Hua will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Chang Kuo-Hua is the oldest son of shipping tycoon Chang Yung Fa, who died in 2016 at the age of 88.
In 1968 Yung Fa founded Evergreen Marine, now one of the world's largest transportation companies.
Brothers Kuo-Hua, Kuo-Ming and Kuo-Cheng also inherited stakes in EVA Airways and hotels in Taiwan, mainland China, Paris and Bangkok.
Kuo-Hua sits on the board of Evergreen Marine.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison