Tor Peterson
Source of wealth: Commodities
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Tor Peterson's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Tor Peterson could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.3 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Tor Peterson could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.6 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Tor Peterson could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.9 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 Tor Peterson could pay for it entirely for 1.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Tor Peterson could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 5.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Tor Peterson 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
Tor Peterson's fortune is equivalent to 20 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.
Tor Peterson could buy 5,407,402 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 Tor Peterson will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Tor Peterson is the only American among the five-person cadre of billionaires to earn their fortunes at Swiss commodities-trading powerhouse Glencore.
After six years of trading commodities at Phibro-Salomon in New York, he joined Glencore in 1992 and leads marketing operations for its coal division.
He owns a minority stake in Glencore, which trades on the London Stock Exchange.
In 2021, Peterson stepped down from his role at Glencore as the commodities firm shook up its leadership ranks.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison