Martin Lau
Source of wealth: Internet
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Martin Lau's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Martin Lau could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.4 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Martin Lau could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.6 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Martin Lau could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.9 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 Martin Lau could pay for it entirely for 1.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Martin Lau could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 5.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Martin Lau 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.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Martin Lau's fortune is equivalent to 21 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.
Martin Lau could buy 5,573,718 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 Martin Lau will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Martin Lau is the president of Chinese internet giant Tencent.
He became a billionaire for the first time in 2017 after Tencent shares jumped by a third over the previous year.
Beijing-born Lau grew up in Hong Kong and was educated in the U.S. He left Goldman Sachs to join Tencent as chief strategy and investment officer in 2005.
Tencent's growth was hit amid China's crackdown on tech companies in 2021, but it managed to make a comeback by introducing new games and selling more ads on the popular WeChat messaging app.
He sits on the board of several Hong Kong- and overseas-listed companies, such as online discount retailer Vipshop.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison