According to Forbes, 328 women from the United States to China are billionaires, up from 241 in 2021. The worth of the women on the list is $1.53 trillion, an increase of over 60 percent in the past year. A large chunk of the world's wealthiest women's $570.7 billion increase in wealth can be attributed to the global stock market's revival.
Twelve of the top ten wealthiest women in the world have been sharing their fortune with a partner, child, or sibling for the past seven years. Beate Heister of Germany is the wealthiest woman in the world and one of these women. She is the younger of Karl and Theo Albrecht's two children and a co-founder of the Aldi supermarket chain. Forty years ago, she and her husband Yoichi established the video game company Koei Tecmo.
Bettencourt Meyers and her family own about 33 percent of L'Oréal's stock. Since 1997, she has served on the company's board of directors. Two of her sons, Jean-Victor Meyers and Nicolas Meyers, are also board members. L'Oréal is the largest cosmetics company in the world, and they have over 35 different cosmetics, skincare, and personal-care products. Among its most successful investments are Maybelline, Garnier, and NYX.
Top 10 richest women in the world
Here are the top 10 wealthiest women in the world:
- Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
- Alice Walton
- Julia Koch
- MacKenzie Scott
- Jacqueline Mars
- Gina Rinehart
- Miriam Adelson
- Susanne Klatten
- Iris Fontbona
- Abigail Johnson
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Name: Francoise Bettencourt MeyersBorn: July 10, 1953
Age: 68
Nationality: France
Source of wealth: L'Oréal
Net worth: $74.8 Billon.
For the past two years, Bettencourt Meyers has maintained her position as the wealthiest woman on the planet. After the passing of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, in 2018, she made her debut on the list of the world's billionaires for the first time. Liliane Bettencourt was the wealthiest woman in the world at the time of her death and the granddaughter of L'Oréal's founder.
2. Alice Walton
Born: October 7, 1949
Age: 72
Nationality: USA
Source of wealth: Walmart
Net Worth: $65.3 Billion
According to recent reports, Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, has amassed a fortune estimated to be worth $3.5 billion in the past year due to the rise in the value of Walmart shares. She was the wealthiest woman on the planet until 2021 when Bettencourt Meyers surpassed her.
3. Julia Koch
Born: April 12, 1962
Age: 60
Nationality: USA
Source of wealth: Koch Industries
Net Worth: $60 Billion
Koch Industries is the second-largest privately held company in the United States. Julia Koch, the widow of conservative benefactor and contributor David Koch and her children, owns 42% of the company. Charles Koch, David Koch's older brother, serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and owns 42% of the company.
4. MacKenzie Scott
Born: April 7, 1070
Age: 52
Nationality: USA
Source of wealth: Amazon
Net Worth: $43.6 Billion
Recently, Scott finalized his divorce from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, making him one of the most generous people in human history. Within fewer than two years, she has given more than $12.5 billion to over 1,250 distinct organizations.
5. Jacqueline Mars
Born: October 10, 1929
Age: 82
Nationality: American
Source of wealth: Candy, Pet Foods
Net Worth: $31.7 Billion
The confectionery and pet food corporation behind M&Ms and names like IAMS and Pedigree, Mars inherited an estimated one-third of Mars Incorporated. Her great-grandfather, Frank C. Mars, established the business in 1911.
6. Gina Rinehart
Born: February 9, 1954
Age: 68
Nationality: Australian
Source of wealth: Mining
Net Worth: $30.2 Billion
Rinehart is the CEO of the Hancock Prospecting Group, an Australian mining and agribusiness conglomerate founded by her father, Lang Hancock (d. 1992). She has been in a legal battle with her grown children over a family trust for years, and the next court date in the case has been postponed until 2023.
7. Miriam Adelson
Born: October 10, 1945
Age: 76
Nationality: USA
Source of wealth: Casinos
Net Worth: $27.5 Billion
Miriam Adelson now owns roughly half of Las Vegas Sands following the death of her Republican power broker and casino tycoon husband, Sheldon Adelson, in early 2021. The company decided to sell its famous Las Vegas properties, such as the Venetian Resort and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, for $6.25 billion two months after Adelson's death to focus on the Asian market.
8. Susanne Klatten
Born: April 28, 1962
Age: 60
Nationality: Germany
Source of wealth: BMW, Pharmaceuticals
Net Worth: $24.3 Billion
Susanne Klatten inherited a 19 percent stake in the German automaker BMW from her parents, Herbert Quandt, the businessman credited with saving BMW from bankruptcy in 1959, and mother, Johanna Quandt. Klatten is also the proprietor of the chemical firm Altana.
9. Iris Fontbona
Born: 1942
Age: 80
Nationality: Chile
Source of wealth: Mining
Net Worth: $22.8 Billion
Andrónico Luksic, a wealthy Chilean businessman who made his fortune in mining and alcohol, died from cancer in 2005, leaving his wife, Fontbona. Her family owns Chilean copper mines through the publicly traded company Antofagasta Plc. In addition, they have a sizable stake in Quienco, a Chilean conglomerate involved in manufacturing, banking, and brewing that is sold on the stock market.
10. Abigail Johnson
Born: December 19, 1961
Age: 60
Nationality: USA
Source of wealth: Money Management
Net Worth: $21.2 Billion
Abigail Johnson assumed the role of chief executive officer of Fidelity Investments after the passing of her father, Ned Johnson III, in March 2014. Her grandfather established the company in 1946 and currently manages a total of $4.2 trillion in assets. She now owns approximately 24.5% of the company's equity.
