The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Jin Baofang's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Jin Baofang could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Jin Baofang could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Jin Baofang could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.7 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 Jin Baofang could pay for it entirely for 1.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Jin Baofang could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Jin Baofang 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
Jin Baofang's fortune is equivalent to 17 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.
Jin Baofang could buy 4,588,570 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 Jin Baofang will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Jin Baofang is the chairman and managing director of solar panel maker JA Solar Technology.
Jin founded the company in 2005. Headquartered in Beijing, JA Solar has plants across China as well as in Southeast Asia, and is planning a $60 million one in Phoenix, Arizona.
JA Solar initially went public on the Nasdaq in 2007 but was taken private in 2018 after a lackluster share performance.
The company joined the Shenzhen Stock Exchange the following year through a backdoor listing.
His daughter Junhui became a director of JA Solar in 2022; Tao Ran, husband of younger daughter Junmiao, also sits on the board.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison