Viktor Vekselberg
Source of wealth: Metals, investments
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Viktor Vekselberg's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Viktor Vekselberg could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Viktor Vekselberg could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Viktor Vekselberg could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.7 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 Viktor Vekselberg could pay for it entirely for 3.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Viktor Vekselberg could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 15.6 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Viktor Vekselberg 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
Viktor Vekselberg's fortune is equivalent to 64 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.
Viktor Vekselberg could buy 16,974,075 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 3 trucks to transport them. Although Viktor Vekselberg will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Viktor Vekselberg, a Ukrainian-born aluminum baron, made his first million selling scrap copper from worn-out cables.
He later bought several medium-size aluminum smelters and bauxite mines and united them into Sual Holding in 1996.
Eleven years later, he merged it with billionaire Oleg Deripaska's Russian Aluminum to form UC Rusal. Both were sanctioned by the U.S. in April 2018.
A partner of billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Len Blavatnik in oil company TNK-BP, he sold his stake in 2013 to state-owned Rosneft for $7 billion.
Because of the sanctions, $1.5 billion he had in U.S. and Swiss banks are frozen.
Vekselberg's superyacht Tango was seized by Spanish police and the FBI in Palma de Mallorca in April 2022.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison