Friede Springer
Source of wealth: Publishing
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Friede Springer's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Friede Springer could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Friede Springer could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.9 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Friede Springer could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.3 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 Friede Springer could pay for it entirely for 1.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Friede Springer could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 7.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Friede Springer 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
Friede Springer's fortune is equivalent to 31 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.
Friede Springer could buy 8,241,395 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 Friede Springer will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Friede Springer inherited a stake in media giant Axel Springer Verlag from her husband, Axel, following his death in 1985.
Hired as the nanny of his two sons, Springer eventually married Axel, who trained her to take over the business.
Among the largest publishing houses in Europe, Axel Springer is active in over 40 countries. Its newspapers include Bild and Die Welt.
The company acquired TV news station N24 (since rebranded as Welt) and the New York-based digital news outlet Business Insider (now renamed Insider) in 2015.
Axel Springer went public in 1985. In 2020, it went private again in a KKR-funded buyout.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison