The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Taha Mikati's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Taha Mikati could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Taha Mikati could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Taha Mikati could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.1 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 Taha Mikati could pay for it entirely for 1.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Taha Mikati could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 6.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Taha Mikati 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
Taha Mikati's fortune is equivalent to 26 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.
Taha Mikati could buy 6,929,436 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 Taha Mikati will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Taha Mikati cofounded Beirut-based holding company M1 Group.
Its investments include stakes in South African telecom firm MTN, fashion retailer Pepe Jeans and prime real estate in New York, London and Monaco.
Mikati and his billionaire brother Najib founded Investcom in 1982, selling satellite phones at the height of Lebanon's civil war.
They expanded into Africa where they built cellphone towers in Ghana, Liberia and Benin, among other countries.
In 2005, Investcom went public on the London Stock Exchange, and in 2009, South Africa's MTN bought the Mikatis' stake for $3.6 billion.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison