ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

3D simulation shows what $1 quadrillion dollars looks like in cash and it's mindblowing

In a YouTube video, a 3D simulation did a size comparison of the mammoth amount in $100 bills.
UPDATED JUL 25, 2024
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Alfred Gescheidt
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Alfred Gescheidt

When expanded, a quadrillion dollar looks like $1,000,000,000,000,000. While that's a lot of zeroes, one can only imagine how that much money would look like in real life. However, this question has been answered by a state-of-the-art simulation by YouTube content creator Red Side. 

Representative image | Getty Images | Photo by Chung Sung-Jun
Representative image | Getty Images | Photo by Chung Sung-Jun

The video starts with the normal $100 bill and goes on to scale up. It goes to $100 million, $1 billion, and then to $100 billion while comparing the size of the money pile to a normal human being and a semi-truck. To put things in perspective, the richest family in the world, the Al Nahyan has a fortune of $305 billion, as per the Financial Express.

Screenshots from the video | YouTube | @RED SIDE
Screenshots from the video | YouTube | @RED SIDE

The simulation then jumps to $1 trillion comparing the size of the pile to a space shuttle. Next, it jumps to show the U.S. national debt which was $28+ trillion at the time. The amount was stacked up against the Statue of Liberty. 

Next, the video shows how a stack of the world debt, $281 trillion would look like against a skyscraper. In the end, the video shows how big a stack of $1 quadrillion would be. The stack easily surpasses the skyscraper reaching up to a height of 960 meters, taller than Burj Khalifa which stands at 828 meters. 

Screenshots from the video | YouTube | @RED SIDE
Screenshots from the video | YouTube | @RED SIDE

Viewers were stunned to see the results."Holy shit skis. That is a cool example. Oh, to be rich eh?? I don't think anyone is that rich but I think there are countries that have huge debt like your compared example... Cool vid, I liked it," wrote user, @kevinrhodes79. 

Screenshot from the comments | YouTube | @imranalam1401
Screenshot from the comments | YouTube | @imranalam1401

Meanwhile, another user suggested that there may be a chance to realize the sum. "Hypothetically, the world's total money reserves could rise to 1 quadrillion," wrote @hi-fy2wb. 



 

Meanwhile, one of the viewers, @mankind8807 asked an interesting question, "Something about 'World Debt' is so funny to me, like I get the actual concept, but if you take it literally it’s so funny Like who tf we owe this money too?"

This question was answered by the World Economic Forum in a 2023 report. As per the Institute of International Finance, global debt hit a record $307 trillion in 2023. WEF explained that this was the total amount of borrowings undertaken by governments, businesses, and households across the globe. 

The report also explained why global debt mattered. As per World Bank research, debt puts the most devastating pressure on emerging and developing economies.

Such countries often need to reduce spending on health, education, and social protection, to pay off their outstanding debt to other countries of financial institutions. This may hinder their growth and lower their quality of life. This also has a counter effect on the country's internal interest rates. 

Furthermore, if countries default on their debts, it can lead to massive panic in the financial markets and lead to significant economic slowdowns. Debt stress can also cause protracted recessions and high inflation which has a disproportionate impact on the poor in low-income countries, according to the World Bank.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The FDA issued a voluntary recall over concerns about Listeria contamination.
5 hours ago
Fans expressed that they too were stumped by the unusually tough puzzle.
6 hours ago
Despite landing on 'Lose Everything' twice, LeRoy Quinn won the biggest prize.
6 hours ago
According to AOL's calculations, the rebate is a niche perk catering to people with high incomes.
1 day ago
The directive comes after the Trump administration froze SNAP Payments from November 1.
1 day ago
The retailer is offering special discounts to its Gold Star, Business, or Executive level Members.
1 day ago
Fans were shocked and tickled to see the issue blow out of proportion on social media.
1 day ago
Apart from acing clues on Jeopardy!, Levine has a long list of TV accolades.
5 days ago
The TikTok creator was shocked to find out how generous Home Depot is.
5 days ago
Harvey wasn't impressed with what the show's audience had to say about him.
5 days ago
The owner of the model Marklin Puritan boat promised never to put it in her swimming pool again.
5 days ago
The contestant, Abi McLaughlin, entertained the viewers throughout the night with her gameplay.
5 days ago
The contestant, Stephen James, couldn't stop yelling and giggling after his big win.
5 days ago
Harvey had a hard time roasting the players who kept coming up with smart answers.
5 days ago
The video showed how the new tech takes even more time to unlock doors.
6 days ago
Harvey later regretted clapping for the controversial answer, being a married man.
6 days ago
Harvey was very invested in the game and reacted to every answer with enthusiasm.
6 days ago
The creator's simple hack can make sure that people avoid splurging too much on groceries.
7 days ago
The contestant's answer wasn't the only one that made the host crack up.
7 days ago
The company received multiple complaints from customers finding wiry pieces of metal in the product.
Oct 28, 2025