Stefano Pessina
Source of wealth: Drugstores
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Stefano Pessina's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Stefano Pessina 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, Stefano Pessina could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Stefano Pessina could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.9 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 Stefano Pessina could pay for it entirely for 2.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Stefano Pessina could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Stefano Pessina 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
Stefano Pessina'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.
Stefano Pessina could buy 11,533,187 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 Stefano Pessina will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Stefano Pessina is the executive chairman of drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance, which Sycamore Partners acquired in 2025 for nearly $10 billion.
He's still a substantial shareholder of the company, which went private and delisted from the Nasdaq as part of the deal.
Pessina's journey began in 1977, when he took over his family's pharmaceutical wholesaler, ultimately renamed Alliance Santé, in Naples, Italy.
He eventually expanded beyond Italy, merging his wholesaler with UniChem Group in 1997 and Boots Group in 2006.
A year later, Pessina took Alliance Boots private in a reported $22 billion deal with private equity firm KKR.
Between 2012 and 2014, Walgreens bought 100% of his pharmacy chain, creating Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison