Lin Por-Fong
Source of wealth: Glass
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Lin Por-Fong's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Lin Por-Fong could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Lin Por-Fong could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Lin Por-Fong could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.4 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 Lin Por-Fong could pay for it entirely for 0.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Lin Por-Fong could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Lin Por-Fong 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 0.0 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Lin Por-Fong's fortune is equivalent to 8 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.
Lin Por-Fong could buy 2,196,438 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 0 trucks to transport them. Although Lin Por-Fong will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Lin Por-Fong has been serving as the chairman of Taiwan Glass, one of Asia's largest glass suppliers, since 2009.
The company was founded in 1964 by his late father, Lin Yu-Chia, who took it public nine years later.
It has five plants in Taiwan and 15 in mainland China after expanding into the region in 1993.
Por-Fong's brother Por-Shih is the company's president and CEO; another brother Por-Chun is its executive director.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison