John Gandel
Source of wealth: Shopping malls
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare John Gandel's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
John Gandel could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, John Gandel could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.9 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
John Gandel could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.4 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 John Gandel could pay for it entirely for 1.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
John Gandel could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 7.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of John Gandel 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
John Gandel's fortune is equivalent to 32 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.
John Gandel could buy 8,427,629 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 John Gandel will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
John Gandel owns half of the southern hemisphere's largest shopping mall, Chadstone, with more than 500 stores in eastern Melbourne.
He also has a big stake in listed property trust Vicinity Centres, which owns the other half of Chadstone, plus other malls and outlets.
He first got rich by expanding his Polish immigrant parents' clothing chain for women, Sussan, now owned by his niece, Naomi Milgrom.
He made most of his wealth from the shopping malls he bought from Myer department stores for $37 million in the 1980s.
Gandel owns Point Leo Estate in the state of Victoria, which has a 50-acre vineyard and a sculpture park with 60 works.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison