Otto Happel
Source of wealth: Engineering
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Otto Happel's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Otto Happel could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Otto Happel could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Otto Happel could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.2 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 Otto Happel could pay for it entirely for 1.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Otto Happel could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 6.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Otto Happel 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
Otto Happel's fortune is equivalent to 28 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.
Otto Happel could buy 7,458,927 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 Otto Happel will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Otto Happel, who studied engineering, inherited his father's dust-removal business and turned it into thermal engineering firm GEA.
In 1999, he sold his 50.1% GEA stake to Germany's MG Technologies for around $775 million in cash and kept a 10% interest in the combined group.
In 2005, the company renamed itself GEA Group. Happel cashed out in 2006, selling his remaining stake to institutional investors for $700 million.
In 2015, he attended the World Economic Forum in his role as chairman of the Swiss private wealth management firm Luserve AG.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison