Guy Laliberté
Source of wealth: Cirque du Soleil
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Guy Laliberté's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Guy Laliberté could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Guy Laliberté could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Guy Laliberté could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.5 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 Guy Laliberté could pay for it entirely for 0.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Guy Laliberté could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Guy Laliberté 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 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Guy Laliberté's fortune is equivalent to 12 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.
Guy Laliberté could buy 3,104,461 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 Guy Laliberté will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
In 1984, Guy Lalibert?, a former street performer, cofounded Cirque du Soleil, which would become one of the world's biggest entertainment companies.
His empire began with a show, funded by $1 million from the Canadian government, put on for the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Canada.
The celebration went global, and the shows have been performed for more than 180 million spectators across more than 450 cities in 60 countries.
He sold much of his 90% stake to U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital and Chinese investment group Fosun in 2015, but kept 10% of the company.
In 2020, Lalibert? sold his remaining 10% stake in Cirque du Soleil to Quebec pension fund CDPQ.
He founded Lune Rouge in 2017, which develops and invests in projects in arts, technology and entertainment.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison