Peter Woo
Source of wealth: Real estate
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Peter Woo's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Peter Woo could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 7.0 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Peter Woo could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 3.1 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Peter Woo could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.6 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 Peter Woo could pay for it entirely for 6.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Peter Woo could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 26.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Peter Woo 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 0.6 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Peter Woo's fortune is equivalent to 106 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.
Peter Woo could buy 28,357,839 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 5 trucks to transport them. Although Peter Woo will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Peter Woo was chairman of property developer Wheelock & Co. and its main subsidiary, Wharf Holdings, before stepping down in 2015.
His son Douglas, who is now chairman of Wheelock, took the company private in 2020.
Beyond property, Wheelock and Wharf control important telecom, port and retailing assets, including luxury department store chain Lane Crawford.
Woo started his career in 1972 with Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, where he met his future wife Bessie, daughter of the shipping tycoon Y.K. Pao.
In 1975 he joined her family's business in Hong Kong.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison