Walter Wang
Source of wealth: Manufacturing
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Walter Wang's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Walter Wang could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.9 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Walter Wang could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.4 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Walter Wang could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.6 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 Walter Wang could pay for it entirely for 0.8 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Walter Wang could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.5 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Walter Wang 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
Walter Wang's fortune is equivalent to 14 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 $549.34.
Walter Wang could buy 3,818,193 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 Walter Wang will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Walter Wang is chairman and CEO of JM Eagle Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers of plastic pipe.
Wang is a son of Y.C. Wang, the former chairman of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics, who died in 2008 at age 91.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, JM Eagle has 2,000 employees globally and generates $2.3 billion of estimated annual revenue.
Wang's philanthropic interests include healthcare, education and missionary work.
Wang is the founder and owner of a Taiwanese basketball team, the New Taipei Kings. His daughter named the team after the family name Wang, which means king in Mandarin.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison