Wang Chou-hsiong
Source of wealth: Footwear
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Wang Chou-hsiong's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Wang Chou-hsiong could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Wang Chou-hsiong could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Wang Chou-hsiong could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.3 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 Wang Chou-hsiong could pay for it entirely for 0.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Wang Chou-hsiong could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.0 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Wang Chou-hsiong 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 0.0 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Wang Chou-hsiong's fortune is equivalent to 8 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.
Wang Chou-hsiong could buy 2,124,518 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 0 trucks to transport them. Although Wang Chou-hsiong will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Wang Chou-hsiong started athletic-footwear maker Feng Tay Enterprises in 1971. Eight years later it formed a partnership to make sports shoes for Nike.
Over the years the company has expanded into casual shoes, bags and sporting goods such as golf balls and ice hockey helmets.
Headquartered in the western Taiwan county of Yunlin, Feng Tay operates plants in mainland China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan.
Wang's older son Richard took over from him as chairman in 2018. Younger son Kevin became vice chairman in 2017.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison