The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Samih Sawiris's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Samih Sawiris could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.6 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Samih Sawiris could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Samih Sawiris could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.4 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 Samih Sawiris could pay for it entirely for 0.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Samih Sawiris could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.3 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Samih Sawiris 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
Samih Sawiris's fortune is equivalent to 10 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.
Samih Sawiris could buy 2,545,031 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 0 trucks to transport them. Although Samih Sawiris will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Samih Sawiris is the middle son of Egypt's wealthiest family, and founder and chairman of Orascom Development Holding, which builds and operates resorts in Egypt, Montenegro and Switzerland.
His brothers, Nassef and Naguib, are also billionaires and his son, Naguib Samih, is chairman of the board at Orascom Development.
He and his brothers all own stakes in publicly-traded Orascom Construction, the company established by their father in 1950.
Sawiris is also a founder and board member of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD), which seeks to create sustainable job opportunities for Egyptians.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison