#660

Richard Liu

Source of wealth: E-commerce

52 years male Technology 🇨🇳 CN

Net Worth

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Earnings per second

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The scale of their wealth

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Health

The price of life

Let's compare Richard Liu's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

Richard Liu could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.8 years.

But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country

On the other end, Richard Liu could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.2 years.

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Education

Buying the future

Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country

Richard Liu could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.8 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 Richard Liu could pay for it entirely for 2.5 years.

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Research

The monopoly on progress

Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country

Richard Liu could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.5 years.

And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide

But even if we compare the total wealth of Richard Liu 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.

While billions of people struggle to access basic healthcare, education, and research, a single individual could fund entire national systems for centuries.

Gold

Everyday luxuries

Richard Liu's fortune is equivalent to 43 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.

Richard Liu could buy 11,399,731 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 Richard Liu will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

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Biography

Richard Liu, who also goes by his Chinese name Liu Qiangdong, is the founder and chairman of e-commerce site JD.com.

He stepped down as JD.com chief executive in 2022, joining other tycoons in relinquishing top management roles as Beijing seeks to rein in the market influence of large tech firms.

Liu started his career by opening a retail shop to sell electronic gadgets in 1998. He closed it six years later and moved the business online.

He also chairs two of JD.com's Hong Kong-listed units, JD Health and JD Logistics.

In 2024, Walmart sold its entire 9.4% stake in JD.com for $3.6 billion, ending an eight-year partnership as the U.S. retail giant shifts to focus on its own operation in China.