Zakhar Smushkin
Source of wealth: Pulp and paper, diversified
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Zakhar Smushkin's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Zakhar Smushkin could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Zakhar Smushkin 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
Zakhar Smushkin 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 Zakhar Smushkin could pay for it entirely for 0.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Zakhar Smushkin could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Zakhar Smushkin 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
Zakhar Smushkin's fortune is equivalent to 13 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.
Zakhar Smushkin could buy 3,420,779 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 Zakhar Smushkin will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
In the early 1990s Zakhar Smuskhin and his business partner Boris Zingarevich were active in barter trading with Russian pulp and paper mills.
Later in the 1990s, during the privatization phase in Russia, they bought their first plant, the Kotlas pulp and paper mill.
The partners' Ilim Group formed a joint venture in 2007 with multinational firm International Paper; the venture operates in Russia as Ilim Group.
As part of the deal, International Paper purchased 50% of Ilim for approximately $650 million.
In 2023 International Paper sold its 50% interest in Ilim Group to the Russian partners.
Smushkin also owns some 3,500 acres of land near Saint Petersburg.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison