Thaksin Shinawatra
Source of wealth: Investments
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Thaksin Shinawatra's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Thaksin Shinawatra 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, Thaksin Shinawatra 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
Thaksin Shinawatra could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.5 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 Thaksin Shinawatra 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
Thaksin Shinawatra could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Thaksin Shinawatra 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
Thaksin Shinawatra's fortune is equivalent to 11 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.
Thaksin Shinawatra could buy 2,869,619 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 Thaksin Shinawatra will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, had been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai for 15 years until he returned to his homeland in 2023.
On his return, he was taken into custody over previous convictions and was released six months later on a special parole after spending most of the time in hospital.
In September 2025, Thailand's Supreme Court sentenced him to prison for one year over previous convictions.Two months later the court imposed a tax demand of 17.6 billion baht on Thaksin.
His youngest daughter Paetongtarn became Thailand's prime minister in 2024 but was suspended by a Constitutional Court in July 2025 after senators filed a petition seeking her dismissal.
He owns a controlling stake in property firm SC Asset, among much else.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison