John Middleton
Source of wealth: Tobacco
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare John Middleton's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
John Middleton could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, John Middleton 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 Middleton could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.3 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 Middleton could pay for it entirely for 1.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
John Middleton could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 7.3 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of John Middleton 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 Middleton's fortune is equivalent to 30 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 Middleton could buy 7,915,785 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 John Middleton will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
John Middleton made his fortune selling his family's storied tobacco business to Philip Morris' parent, Altria, in 2007 for $2.9 billion in cash.
The original business, John Middleton Inc., was founded as a small retail tobacco shop in Philadelphia in 1856 by his great-great-grandfather.
The company began manufacturing cigarettes in the 1950s and launched the Black & Mild cigar brand in 1980.
Middleton bought out his relatives' stakes in the company in 2003 for about $200 million amid tobacco lawsuits that threatened to harm the business.
Middleton has a nearly 50% stake in the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison