Franz Viegener
Source of wealth: plumbing/HVAC
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Franz Viegener's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Franz Viegener could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Franz Viegener 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
Franz Viegener 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 Franz Viegener could pay for it entirely for 2.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Franz Viegener could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.5 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Franz Viegener 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

Franz Viegener's fortune is equivalent to 43 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.
Franz Viegener could buy 11,459,262 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 Franz Viegener will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Franz Viegener's fortune is derived from Viega, a maker of plumbing and HVAC solutions based in Germany.
He has an active role in the business and sits on the board of the Viega Foundation, which supports initiatives in clean water and sanitation.
His cousin Anna Viegener, who chairs the company, is also a billionaire.
The company has 10 locations worldwide, including its U.S. headquarters in Denver and a site in Wuxi, China.
Founded in 1899, today Viega employs 5,500 people.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison