The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Shaul Shani's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Shaul Shani could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.3 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Shaul Shani could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.0 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Shaul Shani could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.5 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 Shaul Shani could pay for it entirely for 2.1 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Shaul Shani could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 8.7 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Shaul Shani 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.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Shaul Shani's fortune is equivalent to 36 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.
Shaul Shani could buy 9,481,358 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 Shaul Shani will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Shaul Shani is an Israeli investor who sold Brazilian firm Global Village Telecom to Vivendi for $4.5 billion in 2009; his take was $1.4 billion.
He has since increased his fortune via mezzanine lending and investments in emerging economies.
Starting in the 1980s, he cofounded three companies; two of them, Oshap Technologies and Tecnomatix, were acquired for $210 million and $228 million.
In 2014, Shani took control of Israeli communications equipment maker ECI Telecom; he agreed to sell to publicly traded Ribbon Communications in 2019.
In 2021, Shani became chairman of Rashi, one of Israel's largest charities.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison