Shirley Kao
Source of wealth: Food & beverage retailing
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Shirley Kao's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Shirley Kao could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Shirley Kao 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
Shirley Kao 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 Shirley Kao 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
Shirley Kao could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.5 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Shirley Kao 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
Shirley Kao'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.
Shirley Kao could buy 2,692,316 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 Shirley Kao will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Shirley Kao owns stakes in Uni-President Enterprises, the food and beverage conglomerate cofounded by her father, Kao Chin-Yen, in 1967.
She was the sole inheritor of her father's fortune after he died in 2016.
She has been a board member at Uni-President since 2013 and heads the group's health and beauty-related subsidiaries.
Her husband, Alex Lo, was promoted to CEO of the group in 2007 and doubled as its chairman after his father-in-law retired in 2013.
Before Lo turned 60 and stepped down from the CEO post in 2016, he had more than doubled the company's market cap to over $10 billion. He continues to lead the group as chairman.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison