Top 10 Richest women in the World: Who are the richest women in the world in 2024? According to Forbes’s ranking of “The World’s Billionaires,” there are a total of 239 women in the list this year, coming from different parts of the world and various industries such as mining, real estate, finance, pharmaceutical, and others.
But among this long list of moneymaking females, let us find out who made it to the top 10—the most affluent in the list made up of heiresses and self-made magnates and what exactly made them worthy of the coveted billionaire label.
The first thing that might come across your mind looking at the list of the richest women in the world below is that their fortune is practically handed over to them. True, the Waltons, Mars and Heinekens are no strangers to the list, but it isn’t fair to label their fortune as an inheritance alone. One, we don’t dismiss the richest men in the world with the same condescension as easily as with women. Two, and most importantly, inheritance is difficult to keep afloat if you lack the financial acumen. The richest women won’t be on this list today if it weren’t’ for their leadership and guts. Not a few cases when we hear infamous inheritance feuds destroying the next-generation fortune, but these women were able to, not just preserve their wealth, but grow it. Alice Walton, in fact, added yet another six billion to her net worth this year from $40 billion as one of the richest women in the U.S. last year.
Of course, the richest among us have the government to thank for when you realize that wealth is taxed way too low compared to income tax. Just two years ago, the House doubled the exemption value for estate tax, which allows the rich to shelter tons of money away from the prying eyes of Uncle Sam.
The list of the richest women in the world is also quite telling for one thing: the lack of diversity. We only have one Asian making it to the list. The rest are from the West and unsurprisingly white. It does put a damper on talks about wealth distribution in a globalized economy.
Top 10 richest women in the world 2024
1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family
Net Worth: $99.5 Billion | Age: 70 | Source of wealth: L’Oréal | Citizenship: France
The L’Oréal heir keeps the title of the world’s richest woman, for the third year in a row, thanks to a 12% rise in the cosmetics giant’s stock since last year. Besides pledging $230 million together with L’Oréal for Notre Dame Cathedral’s reconstruction, she recently hired a managing director for her investment firm, Téthys Invest, where she backs projects like French private hospital operator Elsan.
2. Alice Walton
Net Worth: $64.8 Billion | Age: 74 | Source of wealth: Walmart | Citizenship: U.S.
She inherited a stake in Walmart from her father, cofounder Sam Walton (d. 1992). She’s well known in the family’s home state of Arkansas for opening the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in their hometown of Bentonville, featuring works from the likes of Warhol, Rockwell and Rothko.
3. Julia Koch & family
Net Worth: $60.1 Billion | Age: 61 | Source of wealth: Koch Industries | Citizenship: U.S.
The widow of David Koch (d. 2019) owns 42% of conglomerate Koch Industries alongside her three adult children. Koch oversees the David H. Koch Foundation, through which she and her late husband have donated approximately $1.8 billion to causes like poverty, addiction-related issues, criminal justice and education. In January, she was appointed as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4. Jacqueline Mars
Net Worth: $39.8 Billion | Age: 84 | Source of wealth: Candy, pet food | Citizenship: U.S.
Mars and her brother, John Mars, each own an estimated one-third of candy and pet food multinational giant Mars Inc., which produces candy staples like M&M’s, Hubba Bubba and Snickers. The company was founded by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, in 1911.
5. Mackenzie Scott
Mackenzie Scott has a net worth of $34.5 billion.
The 53-year-old claimed a four per cent stake in Amazon when she divorced her husband and founder Jeff Bezos in 2019.
The philanthropist and novelist has pledged to donate at least half her wealth over the course of her lifetime.
6. Miriam Adelson & family
Net Worth: $33.8 Billion | Age: 78 | Source of wealth: Casinos | Citizenship: U.S.
Adelson is the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the world’s largest casino operator. She inherited the stake after her husband, longtime Republican Party kingmaker Sheldon Adelson, died in 2021. A medical doctor, she has given nearly $1 billion over her lifetime to fund medical research and drug discovery, according to Forbes estimates.
7. Gina Rinehart
Net Worth: $30.2 Billion | Age: 70 | Source of wealth: Mining | Citizenship: Australia
The Australian magnate chairs mining and agriculture company Hancock Prospecting Group. She inherited the business from her father Lang Hancock (d. 1992). Her fortune has dropped by 11% since March in 2022, largely due to falling iron ore prices, but she remains the wealthiest person in Australia.
8. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant has a net worth of $30 billion.
The 78-year-old Swiss businesswoman owns the Mediterranean Shipping Company – the world’s largest shipping line – with her husband Gianluigi Aponte.
She remains very much out of the public eye, as you can tell by the lack of photo of her.
9. Savitri Jindal
Savitri Jindal has a net worth of $29.4 billion.
The 83-year-old is the widow of steel, power, cement and infrastructure company Jindal Group founder Om Prakash Jindal.
She is a businesswoman and politician.
10. Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson has a net worth of $28.6 billion.
The 62-year-old is the heir and current chief executive of American investment firm Fidelity Investments.
This article was first published on blinzo.com and all figures are in USD.
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