Tsai Eng-meng
Source of wealth: Food, beverages
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Tsai Eng-meng's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Tsai Eng-meng could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Tsai Eng-meng 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
Tsai Eng-meng 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 Tsai Eng-meng could pay for it entirely for 2.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Tsai Eng-meng could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 10.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Tsai Eng-meng 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
Tsai Eng-meng's fortune is equivalent to 44 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.
Tsai Eng-meng could buy 11,843,539 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 Tsai Eng-meng will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Tsai Eng-meng is the chairman of Want Want China, one of the world's largest suppliers of Chinese-style snacks and drinks.
He also invests in hotels, financial services and media, including China Times newspaper and China Television Co.
At age 19, Tsai joined his father's food business and later came up with an idea for a new product: crackers made from rice flour. He took over the company as president in 1987.
Sons Kevin and Matthew, along with nephew Cheng Wen-Hsien, are members of Want Want's board of directors.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison