Mikhail Shelkov
Source of wealth: Titanium
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Mikhail Shelkov's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Mikhail Shelkov could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.3 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Mikhail Shelkov 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
Mikhail Shelkov could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.8 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 Mikhail Shelkov could pay for it entirely for 1.1 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Mikhail Shelkov could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Mikhail Shelkov 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
Mikhail Shelkov's fortune is equivalent to 19 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.
Mikhail Shelkov could buy 5,167,250 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 Mikhail Shelkov will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Mikhail Shelkov is the former head of the investment division of state-owned Rostec, which controlled military contractors in Russia.
Shelkov's former boss Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec, is a member of Putin's inner circle, befriending Russia's president in Germany in the 1980s.
From 2012 to 2014, Shelkov and partners bought a controlling stake in VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation from Rostec and Gazprombank.
VSMPO-AVISMA is the world's largest titanium producer for the aerospace industry, which once counted Boeing, Airbus and Rolls-Royce as customers; In 2022 they ceased sourcing from the company.
In 2022 he bought aluminum factory in the Samara region from Arconic, a former division of Alcoa, stopped operations in Russia, for $230m.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison