Koon Poh Keong
Source of wealth: Aluminum
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Koon Poh Keong's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Koon Poh Keong could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Koon Poh Keong could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Koon Poh Keong could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.3 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 Koon Poh Keong could pay for it entirely for 3.1 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Koon Poh Keong could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 13.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Koon Poh Keong 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 0.3 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Koon Poh Keong's fortune is equivalent to 53 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.
Koon Poh Keong could buy 14,098,905 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 3 trucks to transport them. Although Koon Poh Keong will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
When Koon Poh Keong returned home to Malaysia from the U.S. after graduation, he found no jobs on offer and Malaysia was in a recession.
Poh Keong started his company by rallying his four brothers, who pooled $50,000 and began an aluminum-extruding outfit.
Poh Keong is group CEO of aluminum company Press Metal while his brother Poh Ming is the executive vice chairman.
He founded the company with his brothers by renting a factory in Puchong, Selangor, a state on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Press Metal is Southeast Asia's largest integrated aluminum producer. It competes with the likes of Rio Tinto and China's Aluminum Corp.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison