119 billionaires, 53 heads of state, and an $8.3 million security bill: A look at Davos by the numbers
REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), or Davos as it's more commonly known, kicked off Tuesday in Switzerland.
Davos will have dozens of billionaires and heads of state in attendance, but few women.
The Swiss government budgeted $8.3 million for the conference's security costs in 2017 alone.
It's not easy to put on an event that will be attended exclusively by the world's richest and most powerful people.
That's exactly what the World Economic Forum (WEF) does with its annual meeting. The four-day conference began Tuesday in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. This year, attendees include US President Donald Trump, climate activist Greta Thunberg, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Business Insider reported.
Keep reading to take a look at how Davos works.
22: The percent of Davos attendees who were women in 2019.
REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
Davos has long been plagued by criticism over the lack of diversity among attendees, the BBC reported. As a result, the WEF enacted a quota system mandating that companies bring at least one woman for every man in 2011, according to The Guardian.
Davos also has insufficient representation of African and Asian markets, former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and Foreign Policy magazine editor David Rothkopf told CBS News.
53: The number of heads of state slated to attend Davos in 2020.
EUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump will be in attendance, Reuters reported.
Trump gave a rambling speech Tuesday, saying "America is winning again like never before," but not mentioning his impeachment, Business Insider reported.
119: The number of billionaires slated to attend Davos in 2020.
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Approximately 5% of the conference's 2,000-person guest list are billionaires, Bloomberg reported. Marc Benioff, Jamie Dimon, Sheryl Sandberg, and Stephen Schwarzman are all scheduled to be there.
309: The number of private jets that flew into two Davos-area airports during the 2019 conference.
REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
Davos attendees are frequently criticized for flying across the globe on private jets to discuss the perils of climate change, CNN Business reported. "I think it's very insane and weird that people come here in private jets to discuss climate change. It's not reasonable," Thunberg told CNN at Davos in 2019.
The WEF purchases carbon offset credits to offset all attendees' flights, but such programs can have mixed results, according to CNN Business.
60,000: The number of Swiss francs it costs to be a member of the World Economic Forum ($62,000).
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
While you do have to be a member to attend, admission is not included in the membership fee, according to the BBC. Anyone coming to represent a company is charged 27,000 Swiss francs ($28,000) to attend, while activists and political leaders can come free of charge.
This sum also only covers the lowest tier of WEF membership, the BBC reported. The higher tiers have annual fees ranging up to 600,000 Swiss francs ($620,000).
8,000,000: The number of Swiss francs that Switzerland budgeted for security during the four-day event in 2017 ($8.3 million).
REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
The resort town is a "veritable fortress" during the event, according to The New York Times' Michael J. de la Merced and Russell Goldman.
There are rooftop snipers and airport style-security at the main conference center, the BBC reported.
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