Patrick Ryan
Source of wealth: Insurance
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Patrick Ryan's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Patrick Ryan could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 3.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Patrick Ryan could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Patrick Ryan could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.0 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 Patrick Ryan could pay for it entirely for 2.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Patrick Ryan could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 11.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Patrick Ryan 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 0.3 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Patrick Ryan's fortune is equivalent to 47 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.
Patrick Ryan could buy 12,604,082 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 Patrick Ryan will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Patrick Ryan is founder and executive chairman of Chicago-based Ryan Specialty Holdings, a wholesale brokerage and specialty insurance firm.
His first brokerage, Ryan Insurance, merged with Combined Insurance in 1982 to form Aon, one of the largest insurance firms today.
He left Aon in 2008 after 41 years as CEO, and founded what became Ryan Specialty Holdings two years later.
In 2021, Ryan brought RSH public in an IPO that valued the company at $1.3 billion.
Ryan and his wife were already the largest benefactors in Northwestern's history before announcing a $480 million gift to their alma mater in 2021.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison