Jose Maria Aristrain

Source of wealth: Steel

63 years male Metals & Mining 🇪🇸 ES

Net Worth

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Earnings per second

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The scale of their wealth

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Health

The price of life

Let's compare Jose Maria Aristrain's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

Jose Maria Aristrain 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, Jose Maria Aristrain could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.

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Education

Buying the future

Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country

Jose Maria Aristrain 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 Jose Maria Aristrain could pay for it entirely for 0.7 years.

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Research

The monopoly on progress

Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country

Jose Maria Aristrain could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.1 years.

And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide

But even if we compare the total wealth of Jose Maria Aristrain 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.

While billions of people struggle to access basic healthcare, education, and research, a single individual could fund entire national systems for centuries.

Gold

Everyday luxuries

Jose Maria Aristrain's fortune is equivalent to 13 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.

Jose Maria Aristrain could buy 3,367,186 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 Jose Maria Aristrain will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

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Biography

Jose Maria Aristrain is the former owner of steelmaker Arcelor, which was acquired by Mittal Steel in 2006 for nearly $34 billion in cash and stock.

He is now believed to own a 2% stake of ArcelorMittal, among the world's largest steel companies.

He owns about 11% of Spain's Tubacex, the second-largest global manufacturer of seamless stainless steel tubes.

Aristrain inherited the business conglomerate when he was 24 years old, after his father, also named Jose Maria Aristrain, died in 1986 in a helicopter crash on the Cote d'Azur.

Aristrain was accused of tax evasion in Spain and faced 40 years in prison, but he maintained his innocence and the Court of Madrid acquitted him in January 2022.