Gao Dekang & family
Source of wealth: Apparel
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Gao Dekang & family's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Gao Dekang & family could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Gao Dekang & family could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.1 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Gao Dekang & family could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.6 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 Gao Dekang & family could pay for it entirely for 2.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Gao Dekang & 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 9.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Gao Dekang & 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
Gao Dekang & family's fortune is equivalent to 37 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.
Gao Dekang & family could buy 9,998,115 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 Gao Dekang & family will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Gao Dekang is the chairman and CEO of Bosideng International Holdings, one of the world's largest makers of down jackets.
Born in 1952 in a family of tailors, Gao learnt how to sew when he was a child.
He opened a small tailor shop in 1976, and decided to focus on making down jackets about a decade later.
Today the Hong Kong-listed company operates a network of more than 3,000 stores across China. It also sells its products in dozens of countries including France, Italy and the U.S.
Gao's wife, Mei Dong, and son Gao Xiaodong both sit on Bosideng's board of directors.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison