Valerie Mars
Source of wealth: Candy, pet food
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Valerie Mars's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Valerie Mars could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 5.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Valerie Mars could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 2.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Valerie Mars could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.3 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 Valerie Mars could pay for it entirely for 4.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Valerie Mars could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 19.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Valerie Mars 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 0.4 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Valerie Mars's fortune is equivalent to 78 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.
Valerie Mars could buy 20,684,813 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 4 trucks to transport them. Although Valerie Mars will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Valerie Mars and her three sisters each inherited an estimated 8% stake in candymaker Mars when their father, Forrest Mars Jr., died in 2016.
Her great-grandfather Frank Mars founded the company in 1911.
She began working at Mars in 1992 and today is the company's vice president of corporate development.
Mars also sits on the company's board of directors.
Mars acquired snack company Kellavova in December 2025 for $35.9 billion including debt.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison