Nicolas Berggruen
Source of wealth: Real estate, investments
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Nicolas Berggruen's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Nicolas Berggruen 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, Nicolas Berggruen 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
Nicolas Berggruen 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 Nicolas Berggruen 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
Nicolas Berggruen could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Nicolas Berggruen 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
Nicolas Berggruen's fortune is equivalent to 20 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.
Nicolas Berggruen could buy 5,366,926 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 Nicolas Berggruen will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
The son of a wealthy art collector, Nicolas Berggruen was born in Paris and moved to the U.S. to attend New York University.
He first worked in real estate for Bass Brothers Enterprises before founding Berggruen Holdings in 1985 to manage his investments.
In 1988, he cofounded Alpha Investment Management, a fund of hedge funds operation that was sold to Safra Bank in 2004 for an undisclosed amount.
His Berggruen Holdings owns office buildings and apartments in Berlin, Germany and Portland, Oregon.
He is the founder and chairman of The Berggruen Institute, a think tank focused on developing ideas for the future of democracy and capitalism.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison