Lim Kok Thay

Source of wealth: Casinos

74 years male Gambling & Casinos 🇲🇾 MY

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 Lim Kok Thay's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

Lim Kok Thay 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, Lim Kok Thay could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.

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Education

Buying the future

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

Lim Kok Thay 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 Lim Kok Thay 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

Lim Kok Thay could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.9 years.

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

But even if we compare the total wealth of Lim Kok Thay 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

Lim Kok Thay's fortune is equivalent to 12 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.

Lim Kok Thay could buy 3,105,214 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 Lim Kok Thay will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

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Biography

Lim Kok Thay is the executive chairman of Genting, a casino and resorts conglomerate with a global footprint. In February 2025, he stepped down as CEO, a role he had held for almost two decades.

In 2022, Lim's troubled cruise operator Genting Hong Kong, which was hit hard by the pandemic, filed a winding up petition. Lim stepped down as chairman.

Lim's assets include Empire Resorts, the parent company of loss-making Resorts World Catskills.

A long-drawn family feud over the empire's wealth and businesses, which include a palm-oil unit, was finally resolved in 2020.

As part of an ongoing S$6.8 billion ($5 billion) expansion, Genting Singapore is revamping its Resorts World Sentosa, which will include two new hotels, a four-storey retail and dining podium, and a waterfront promenade.