Erich Wesjohann & family
Source of wealth: Poultry genetics
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Erich Wesjohann & family's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Erich Wesjohann & family could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Erich Wesjohann & family could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Erich Wesjohann & family could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.9 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 Erich Wesjohann & family could pay for it entirely for 2.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Erich Wesjohann & family could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 11.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Erich Wesjohann & family 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
Erich Wesjohann & family's fortune is equivalent to 45 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.
Erich Wesjohann & family could buy 11,905,891 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 Erich Wesjohann & family will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Erich Wesjohann is the chairman and namesake of Germany-based EW Group, the world's largest poultry breeding and genetics company.
EW Group was founded in 1999, when Wesjohann and his brother Paul-Heinz decided to split up their family chicken company, originally dating to 1932.
In 2020, EW Group pulled in total revenue of $3.3 billion. Two U.S. poultry breeders Aviagen and Hubbard make up key assets in EW Group's portfolio.
The low-profile billionaire and his wife have transferred a portion of ownership in EW Group to other members of their family over the years.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison