The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Ian Wood & family's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Ian Wood & family could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Ian Wood & family could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Ian Wood & family could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.6 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 Ian Wood & family could pay for it entirely for 0.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Ian Wood & 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 3.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Ian Wood & 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 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Ian Wood & family's fortune is equivalent to 14 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.
Ian Wood & family could buy 3,691,565 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 Ian Wood & family will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Ian Wood transformed a family-owned fishing business based in Aberdeen, Scotland into John Wood Group, a multinational oil services company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
He joined the firm in 1962, became CEO in 1967 and took the business public in 2002. He later served as chairman before retiring in 2012.
Under his watch, John Wood Group expanded its operations to over 50 countries and had over 60,000 employees.
Wood and his family have sold much of their stake in the company over the years, diversifying into other investments.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison