11 mind-blowing facts that show just how wealthy Bill Gates really is
Katie Warren May 14, 2019, 10:42 AM
Bill Gates
Gates could give every single living person on the planet $10 — and still have more than $30 billion left over. John Lamparski/Getty Images
Bill Gates is the second-richest person in the world after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
The Microsoft cofounder is worth an estimated $104 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Gates is so rich that an average American spending $1 is comparable to Gates spending $1.06 million.
Here are 11 mind-blowing facts that show just how wealthy Gates really is.
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Bill Gates is the second-richest person in the world. The Microsoft cofounder is worth an estimated $104 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
His wealth is surpassed only by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who has a current net worth of $118 billion.
The next-richest person after Gates is Bernard Arnault, the French businessman who runs luxury-goods empire LVMH and is worth an estimated $92 billion.
Gates is so rich that an average American spending $1 is similar to Gates spending $1.06 million. And that's after the Microsoft cofounder has given away approximately 27% of his net worth to charity over the years.
Here are 11 mind-blowing facts that show just how wealthy Gates really is.
1. Bill Gates has become nearly $12 billion richer in the past year alone.
بیل گیتس
Bill Gates speaks ahead of former U.S. President Barack Obama at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Yana Paskova/Getty Images
On May 14, 2018, Gates' net worth was about $90 billion.
He's $28 billion richer than he was five years ago in 2014.
2. Based on how much wealthier Gates got in the past year, he makes approximately $380 per second, according to Business Insider calculations.
bill gates
Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images
That means it would not be worth his time to stop and pick up a $100 bill that he dropped on the ground.
3. If Gates spent $1 million a day, it would take him more about 285 years to spend his fortune, according to Business Insider calculations.
bill gates
Chip Somodevilla / Getty
But although Gates indulges in a few luxuries — such as a private plane and a massive Washington home now worth $125 million — the billionaire is known for being relatively frugal in his spending.
4. Gates' $104 billion fortune could buy 81.1 million troy ounces of gold, according to Bloomberg.
gold bars
Twenty four karat gold bars are seen at the United States West Point Mint facility in West Point, New York, June 5, 2013. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
According to Bloomberg, that's also the equivalent of 1.45 billion barrels of crude oil.
Today, a troy ounce of gold is worth $1,285.52.
5. Although Gates made his fortune cofounding Microsoft with Paul Allen, he now only owns 1.3% of the company — and he's still worth $104 billion.
Bill Gates Paul Allen
Reuters
That 1.3% share in Microsoft amounts to about 12.5% of Gates' net worth, according to Forbes.
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6. Gates has remained the second-richest person in the world even after giving away approximately 27% of his net worth to charity over the years.
bill and melinda gates
Bill and Melinda Gates. Getty Images
In 2010, Gates and Warren Buffett — the world's fourth-richest person — founded The Giving Pledge, a charity organization that encourages the world's wealthiest people to give the majority of their fortune to charity during their lifetime or after their death.
Gates has donated $35.8 billion in Microsoft stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, according to Forbes.
In 2017, he invested $50 million into Alzheimer's research and later gave another $30 million to a "venture philanthropy" fund called Diagnostics Accelerator, which has the aim of diagnosing Alzheimer's earlier.
Gates and his wife, Melinda, have also traveled to Tanzania and other countries for charity work. They've donated millions more to causes that include health and development and education.
7. Gates is so rich that an average American spending $1 is similar to Gates spending $1.06 million.
Inc
The median net worth of an average US household is $97,300. Dividing $104 billion by $97,300 comes to about $1.06 million.
8. Gates' net worth is greater than the GDP of Croatia, Cambodia, and the Bahamas — combined.
bahamas
The Bahamas. Shutterstock/Stefan Ugljevarevic
Croatia's GDP is about $63.8 billion, Cambodia's is $26.6 billion, and the Bahamas' is $12.8 billion.
9. Gates is richer than the richest man in Asia and the richest man in China, combined.
Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest person, is worth $55 billion. Reuters
Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, worth $55 billion, is the richest person in Asia. And tech tycoon Pony Ma, worth $38.2 billion, is China's richest person, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.
10. Gates could give every single living person on the planet $10 — and still have more than $30 billion left over.
people crowds
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The world population was 7,346,235,000 as of August 2016.
11. According to the Social Security Administration, the average American man with a bachelor's degree will earn about $2.2 million in his lifetime. Gates makes that in a little over an hour and a half.
bill gates melinda gates
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
According to the SSA, the average American woman with a bachelor's degree will earn $1.3 million in her lifetime.
Based on his earnings of $12 billion in the past year, Gates makes about $22,831 per minute, according to Business Insider calculations.
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