The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare George Economou's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
George Economou could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.4 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, George Economou 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
George Economou 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 George Economou could pay for it entirely for 2.1 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
George Economou could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 9.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of George Economou 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
George Economou'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.
George Economou could buy 9,757,606 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 George Economou will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
George Economou is a Greek shipping tycoon who owns several privately-held firms under his TMS Group.
He took one of those firms, Dryships, public on the Nasdaq in 2005 before ultimately taking it private again in 2019 at a $456 million valuation.
In 2018, he sold offshore drilling firm Ocean Rig to publicly traded TransOcean at a $2.7 billion valuation, just 18 months after the firm filed for bankruptcy.
Between August and December 2023, Economou bought large positions in several publicly-traded shipping firms in the U.S.
Outside of shipping, he owns an estimated $250 million art collection including works by Pablo Picasso. Part of it is on display in his private museum in Athens.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison