Sam Chong
Source of wealth: Mining
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Sam Chong's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Sam Chong could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Sam Chong could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.5 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Sam Chong could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.8 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 Sam Chong could pay for it entirely for 1.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Sam Chong could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 4.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Sam Chong 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 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Sam Chong's fortune is equivalent to 18 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.
Sam Chong could buy 4,744,859 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 Sam Chong will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Malaysian-born Sam Chong is the co-owner of Jellinbah Group, which operates two coal mines in Queensland.
Chong trained as a mining engineer in Taiwan before moving to Australia in 1972.
Sam and his son Paul are directors at Jellinbah Group.
In January 2025, Chong bought Anglo American's one-third stake in Jellinbah for A$1.6 billion ($1.1 billion); later in June 2025 he sold a 6.7% stake to Japanese conglomerate Marubeni.
Chong also owns a string of hotel and office properties in Brisbane.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison