The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Nikolai Buinov's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Nikolai Buinov could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Nikolai Buinov could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.0 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Nikolai Buinov could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.4 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 Nikolai Buinov could pay for it entirely for 1.9 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Nikolai Buinov could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 8.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Nikolai Buinov 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 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Nikolai Buinov's fortune is equivalent to 33 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.
Nikolai Buinov could buy 8,787,769 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 2 trucks to transport them. Although Nikolai Buinov will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Nikolay Buinov is the main shareholder of Irkutsk oil company, the largest independent private oil company in Russia.
Buinov got his start with a timber company in the early 1990s.
In 1995, Buinov and his father founded Bodaibo energy company, which supplied fuel and lubricants to gold miners in the north of Irkutsk in Siberia.
Buinov purchased the license for an oil field in 1997, which was the start of what would become Irkutsk Oil Company.
Buinov sold a stake in IOC to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2008; EBRD later sold part of its stake to Goldman Sachs.
In 2022 Goldman Sachs sold its stake in IOC to Buinov and his partners.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison