Choo Chong Ngen
Source of wealth: Hotels
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Choo Chong Ngen's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Choo Chong Ngen 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, Choo Chong Ngen 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
Choo Chong Ngen 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 Choo Chong Ngen 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
Choo Chong Ngen could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 5.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Choo Chong Ngen 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
Choo Chong Ngen'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.
Choo Chong Ngen could buy 5,493,924 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 Choo Chong Ngen will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Hotel tycoon Choo Chong Ngen made his fortune in textiles before launching his Hotel 81 budget chain in Geylang, Singapore's red-light district.
He has expanded into the mid-tier market, introducing five more hotel brands since 2009.
His privately held hotel empire, now called Worldwide Hotels, which daughter Carolyn has been helping him run since 2002, has 41 hotels across the island.
Since 2017, he has expanded into Australia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, with eleven hotels managed by brands like Travelodge and Holiday Inn.
In 2024, Worldwide Hotels opened the world's largest Mercure hotel with 989 rooms at Singapore's trendy Club Street in the central business district.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison