Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Count of all entries returned by Forbes Billionaires API (list.php endpoint). No filtering or transformation applied.

Cadence: Retrieved daily at 04:00 AEST.

Caveats: Forbes methodology uses editorial wealth estimates. Count fluctuates as individuals cross the $1B threshold.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Sum of current_worth values (in billions USD) for all ranked billionaires, converted to full USD. Calculation: sum of (current_worth × 1,000,000,000) across all entries.

Currency: USD, no conversion applied. Source data is natively in USD.

Caveats: Wealth estimates fluctuate; figure represents a point-in-time snapshot. Not an audited valuation.

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator SP.POP.TOTL (SRC-002)

Method: Retrieved from World Bank API indicator SP.POP.TOTL. No transformation applied.

Cadence: Annual (World Bank update cycle). Retrieved daily; figure updates when World Bank publishes a new value.

Fallback: If the World Bank API is unavailable, the dashboard displays the most recently cached value. Final fallback: hardcoded constant (8,141,808,945).

Caveats: World Bank figure is an annual mid-year estimate, not a real-time population clock. Fallback value may lag by up to one year.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Sum current_worth for the top 10 ranked billionaires; divide by combined_wealth_usd; express as percentage. Both absolute amount and percentage are displayed.

Currency: USD, no conversion applied.

Caveats: Concentration figure changes with each data pull as individual wealth estimates update.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Sort all current_worth values, take the middle value (or average of two middle values for even count). Expressed in billions USD.

Currency: USD, no conversion applied.

Caveats: Median is sensitive to the composition of the list, which changes as billionaires are added or removed.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List (SRC-001) and World Bank WDI (SRC-002)

Method: Calculation: (total_billionaires / world_population) × 100, displayed as percentage. Dynamically calculated on each data pull, never hardcoded.

Caveats: Denominator (world population) is an annual estimate while numerator (billionaire count) updates in near-real-time, creating a minor temporal mismatch.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Count of billionaires grouped by gender field from Forbes API. Three buckets: male, female, unknown. Unknown suppressed in display when count is 0.

Caveats: Forbes gender data reflects their editorial classification.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Sum current_worth by sector using SECTOR_MAP in fetch-metrics.js. Forbes 'source' field mapped to 9 named sectors plus 'Other' catch-all. Displayed as wealth-based bars on dashboard, not count-based.

Caveats: Industry classification is editorial, not standardised (e.g. SIC/NAICS). A billionaire's wealth may span multiple industries. Sector attribution uses Forbes editorial 'source' field. Billionaires with diversified holdings assigned to single primary sector. ~7.7% of combined wealth falls to 'Other'.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List, accessed via RapidAPI (SRC-001)

Method: Billionaires bucketed by current_worth into tiers: 1B–5B, 5B–10B, 10B–25B, 25B–50B, 50B–100B, 100B+. Count and percentage of total calculated per tier. Displayed highest tier first.

Caveats: Tier counts change with each data pull as individual estimates fluctuate.

Source: US Congressional Budget Office — Defence Cost Methodology (SRC-003)

Method: Cost basis: $3,472 per second (~$300M/day), derived from CBO comparable Gulf region deployment rate analyses. Start date: 2025-01-12T00:00:00Z. Live counter calculates: elapsed_seconds × costPerSecond. Figure ticks in real-time on page load.

Assumptions: Cost rate assumes comparable Gulf region deployment intensity throughout the operation. Start date represents commencement of active US military operations against Iran. Rate is constant (no acceleration/deceleration modelling).

Caveats: The $3,472/sec rate is a modelled estimate based on comparable deployments, not a CBO-published figure for this specific operation. Actual costs may vary significantly. Funded through emergency supplemental appropriations outside the standard defence budget.

Source: Public reporting — news organisations, government agencies, SEC filings, NGO reports (SRC-005)

Method: Each waste event has an individually sourced cost figure from public reporting (news, government reports, SEC filings, NGO analyses). Figures are entered editorially with specific source citations embedded in page HTML. 19 fixed-cost events plus 1 live-ticking event (iran_war, registered separately as CLM-010). One event (brexit) uses GBP; all others USD.

Currency: USD for 19 events; GBP for brexit event (excluded from USD totals). No cross-currency conversion applied.

Caveats: Sources vary in rigour from SEC filings to journalistic estimates. Individual source citations are maintained in the page HTML, not in this registry. See page source for per-event attribution.

This is a bulk-registered entry covering 20 individual waste event figures. Individual claim entries will be added as the wheel data expands.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (SRC-004) and public reporting (SRC-005)

Method: Each value item has an individually sourced unit cost (e.g. $93,600/yr for a registered nurse from BLS, $105M for a critical access hospital from AHA/USDA). Conversion displayed as: waste_cost / unit_cost = count of value units. Unit costs sourced from government statistical agencies (BLS, NCES), industry bodies (AHA), and policy research organisations. Source citations embedded in page HTML per item.

Currency: USD for all value items. Basis years vary by item (2022–2024).

Caveats: Unit costs are median/benchmark figures, not actual procurement costs. Real-world implementation costs vary by location and scale. Individual source citations maintained in page HTML. Basis year noted per item in data.

This is a bulk-registered entry covering 41 individual value equivalent figures across 6 categories. Individual claim entries will be added as the wheel data expands.

Source: Robb Report / Wikipedia: Koru (yacht)

Figure: $575M total. Koru (Oceanco, 417-foot sailing superyacht): ~$500M. Abeona (Damen, 246-foot support vessel): ~$75M.

Method: Neither Bezos nor the shipbuilders published official costs. The $575M figure represents the estimate most widely reported across maritime and financial press. The component breakdown ($500M + $75M) is consistent across multiple independent reporting outlets.

Caveats: No official disclosure. Figure treated as DERIVED (widely-reported press estimate) rather than SOURCED (primary disclosure). Annual upkeep (~$50M) not included in the headline figure.

Source: US Government Accountability Office — Report GAO-19-178

Figure: $3.4M per visit.

Method: GAO audited Trump's first four Mar-a-Lago trips in early 2017 and found a total cost of $13.6M — an average of $3.4M per trip. This audited per-trip rate is applied to second-term visits. Costs include Secret Service, Coast Guard, and logistics.

Caveats: The $3.4M figure is the GAO-audited first-term average. Second-term costs have not been independently audited. Actual per-trip costs may vary. Applied forward as the best available audited benchmark.

Source: Wikipedia presidential travel logs / US GAO Report GAO-19-178

Figure: $78.2M (as of March 2026).

Method: Trip count (23 visits, January 2025 – March 2026) sourced from Wikipedia's List of Presidential Trips Made by Donald Trump (2025) and (2026). Per-trip cost ($3.4M) from GAO-19-178 (see CLM-015). Calculation: 23 × $3.4M = $78.2M.

Caveats: Trip count from Wikipedia — subject to editorial updates. Per-trip rate is a first-term audited average applied forward; second-term costs have not been independently audited. Figure is a running total and will increase as visits continue.

Source: OpenSecrets donor lookup / FEC year-end filings

Figure: $290M+.

Method: Aggregated from FEC filings via OpenSecrets. Primary vehicle: America PAC ($250M+). Includes $50M in voter registration cash giveaways and contributions to Republican candidates and committees. OpenSecrets confirmed Musk as the largest individual donor of the entire 2024 election cycle.

Caveats: FEC filings capture federally disclosed contributions; state-level or non-disclosed spending may not be included. $290M represents the floor; total may be higher. Figure treated as SOURCED — based on public regulatory filings.

Source: US Army published estimate / ABC News / AP-NORC Poll

Figure: $45M (upper bound).

Method: The Army published an estimate range of $25M–$45M for Army costs alone, excluding an additional $16M in projected DC street damage from 60-ton tanks. $45M is the upper bound of the Army's own published range. Final audited costs were not available at time of entry.

Caveats: Figure is the upper bound of the Army's estimate, not a final audited cost. Excludes projected $16M street damage. Total public cost may be higher. Figure treated as DERIVED — from a published government estimate range, not a final audit.

Source: US Department of Interior announcement (March 23, 2026) / NPR

Figure: $928M.

Method: The Trump administration paid TotalEnergies $928M in taxpayer funds to surrender two offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina. The payment refunded lease acquisition costs in exchange for a pledge to invest in US fossil fuel projects instead. Reported by NPR from the DOI announcement; corroborated by TotalEnergies press release.

Caveats: Figure sourced from the DOI announcement — treated as SOURCED. The projects cancelled would have powered approximately 1.7 million homes. Opportunity cost of lost clean energy generation is not included in the figure.

Source: SEC Schedule 13E-3 filing / contemporaneous financial press (Reuters, Bloomberg, WSJ) (SRC-020)

Figure: $44B.

Method: Publicly reported acquisition price confirmed by SEC Schedule 13E-3 filing and contemporaneous financial press at time of closing October 2022. Multiple major financial outlets independently confirmed the $44B figure.

Caveats: Acquisition price is a confirmed, audited figure. Treated as SOURCED. Subsequent valuation decline (Fidelity marked at ~$9.4B in late 2024) is noted in the waste entry but not part of this claim figure.

Source: Financial and international press reporting / Veneto regional president Luca Zaia public statement (SRC-021)

Figure: ~$50M.

Method: Veneto regional president Luca Zaia publicly estimated the cost at €40-48 million (~$46.5-$55.6M). No official figure disclosed by Bezos. Lower bound of reported range used in display (~$50M midpoint).

Caveats: Estimate from a regional government official, not a direct disclosure. Treated as DERIVED. Actual costs may differ.

Source: Maritime and financial press (Bloomberg, Forbes, Boat International) (SRC-022)

Figure: $450M.

Method: Construction cost not publicly disclosed by Brin or the builder. $450M is the widely reported maritime industry estimate. 466-foot vessel, originally commissioned as 'Project Alibaba' for sanctioned Russian billionaire Leonid Mikhelson.

Caveats: No official disclosure. Treated as DERIVED (widely reported industry estimate). Industry sources and maritime press consistently cite ~$450M.

Source: Maritime and financial press (Forbes, Bloomberg, Boat International) (SRC-023)

Figure: ~$300M.

Method: Construction cost not disclosed. ~$300M is the widely reported maritime industry estimate. 118 metres (387 ft). Annual operating costs for vessels of this class run $15M-$30M/yr.

Caveats: No official disclosure from Zuckerberg or Meta. Treated as DERIVED (widely reported industry estimate). Operating costs not included in headline figure.

Source: Transport & Environment / Oxfam fleet emissions analysis (SRC-024)

Figure: ~$1.5B/yr.

Method: Environmental damage valuation using social cost of carbon methodology (US EPA/OMB) applied to billionaire private jet fleet emissions data from Transport & Environment and Oxfam. This is not a direct expenditure; it is a damage valuation.

Caveats: Damage valuation methodology involves multiple estimation layers. Social cost of carbon figures vary by source and methodology. Treated as DERIVED. Fleet composition and usage patterns are estimates.

Source: Congressional Budget Office, Gulf region deployment methodology (SRC-025)

Figure: ~$300M/day ($3,472/second). ESTIMATE.

Method: Analogical projection based on CBO comparable Gulf region deployment rates. Not an audited or reported figure for this specific conflict. Rate derived from CBO methodology applied forward. Live counter runs from 2025-01-12.

Caveats: ESTIMATE. This is a modelled projection, not an audited expenditure. Actual costs for this conflict will not be known until government audit. Reuses CBO methodology from CLM-010 but anchors the evidence panel for the iran_war waste entry specifically.

Source: Forbes Billionaires List (SRC-001) for wealth total; institutional cost research (SRC-005) for category costs

Method: Interactive simulator drains combined billionaire wealth (CLM-002) through sequential allocation to 12 categories. Each category has a cost figure labelled DERIVED ESTIMATE. Allocation is illustrative — demonstrates scale of wealth relative to global needs, not a policy proposal. Industry contribution pills show which sectors' wealth funds each category.

Category costs ($8.613T total):

• Food: $45B — FAO/WFP annual gap estimates (annual cost)
• Water: $114B — WHO/UNICEF WASH infrastructure modelling (one-time infrastructure)
• Housing: $650B — UN-Habitat / national programme estimates (estimated total cost)
• Health: $274B — WHO primary healthcare coverage estimates (annual funding gap)
• Disease: $90B — WHO/GAVI programme modelling (10-year program cost)
• Education: $390B — UNESCO financing gap estimates (annual funding gap)
• Climate: $300B — IPCC/IEA 1.5°C transition modelling (annual investment)
• Renewable energy: $4.5T — IEA Net Zero scenario financing (additional investment needed)
• Grid: $1.2T — IEA grid decarbonisation estimates (10-year investment)
• Internet: $450B — ITU broadband extension estimates (infrastructure buildout)
• Ecosystem: $500B — UNEP/UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (10-year program)
• Pandemic: $100B — WHO/G20 pandemic infrastructure estimates (annual investment)

Currency: USD throughout. Cost types vary: some annual, some one-time, some 10-year programmes.

Caveats: All cost figures labelled DERIVED ESTIMATE. This is a rhetorical/educational tool, not an economic model. Category costs are order-of-magnitude estimates. Links to /data-sources/ for methodology.

Verification note: housing ($650B) needs a specific UN-Habitat report and year. edu ($390B) needs the specific UNESCO or Education Commission publication confirmed. water ($114B) needs a specific WHO/UNICEF WASH report citation. All other categories cite sufficiently specific institutional sources.