Top billionaires in the world are celebrities in their own rights, famous for their wide range of endeavours across industries, including finance, fashion, e-commerce, and hair and skincare. One can’t help but find their stories fascinating, especially regarding the women billionaires who have made their mark in a man’s world. Forbes tracks the wealth of billionaires worldwide in real-time, which prompts our list of the richest women in the world.
Top 10 richest women in the world
Here are the women billionaires topping our list as of August 9, 2024:
| Rank and Name | Net Worth (as of April 9, 2024) | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Family | $86.5 billion | L’Oréal |
| 2. Alice Walton | $80.3 billion | Walmart |
| 3. Julia Koch and Family | $74.6 billion | Koch Industries |
| 4. Jacqueline Mars | $39.0 billion | Mars Inc |
| 5. Savitri Jindal & family | $38.5 billion | JSW Group |
| 6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $34.6 billion | Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Group |
| 7. MacKenzie Scott | $31.0 billion | Amazon |
| 8. Gina Rinehart | $30.4 billion | Hancock Prospecting |
| 9. Abigail Johnson | $28.7 billion | Fidelity Investments |
| 10. Elaine Marshall & family | $28.4 billion | Koch Industries |
Also Read: The top 10 richest women in India in 2024
What earned the top women billionaires their wealth? Let’s find that and more about them:
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Family
Generational wealth, as hers may be, means Francoise is the richest woman in the world at the moment. The granddaughter of the founder of L’Oréal, she and her family own over a third of the entity. Francoise serves as the chairwoman of the family holding company.While the firm’s performance sank during the pandemic, it has since rebounded greatly; in fact, Francoise was recorded as the first woman to have $100 billion in fortune at the end of 2023.
2. Alice Walton
- Age: 74
- Country: United States
Yet another heiress, Alice Walton is one of the offsprings of the Walmart founder Sam Walton; she has three brothers, two of whom have joined the business, unlike her. Art has been her domain of choice. In 2011, she founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas—her hometown.Just around a month ago, Alice made headlines after selling over $21 million in value from the Walton Family Holdings Trus stocks, which she is part of as a trustee.Also Read: The top 10 richest people in the world in 2024
3. Julia Koch and Family
- Age: 62
- Country: United States
Julia Koch and her three children inherited 42 percent of Koch Industries from her husband David when he passed away in 2019. Julie has made a name for herself as a philanthropist; the Julia Koch Family Foundation™ has gifted $75 million to NYU Langone Health for a new, state-of-the-art Ambulatory Care Center in West Palm Beach.
4. Jacqueline Mars
- Age: 84
- Country: United States
Jacqueline Mars owns about a third of Mars, the candy, food, and pet care firm established by her grandfather. She served on the company board for about two decades until her retirement in 2016, when she passed the mantle on to her son, Stephen Badger.Among her noted hobbies, Jacqueline owns a horse firm in Virginia, one known for having trained horses ridden by Olympic medalists.Also Read: The top 10 richest people in India in 2024
5. Savitri Jindal & family
The only Indian name on the list of the top ten richest women in the world, Savitri is the chairperson of the Jindal Group, which spans industries like steel, power, cement, and infrastructure. Notably, she inherited the position and fortune from her late husband, Jindal founder Om Prakash Jindal. Savitri has also delved into politics, having served as a minister in the Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana. As of March 28, 2024, she and her son, Naveen Jindal, have moved their alliance to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
- Age: 79
- Country: Switzerland
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant owns a 50 percent stake in MSC, which happens to be the largest shipping line in the world, along with her husband, who owns the other 50 percent. Unlike most others on this list, she is a self-made woman, as the couple started the business together. The holiday cruise arm for the shipping line is named MSC Cruises, and Rafaela is responsible for decorating ships in this area.
7. MacKenzie Scott
- Age: 54
- Country: United States
During her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie received a 4 percent stake in the firm. She pledged to give away about half of her wealth right after announcing the terms of said divorce, and she has already given about $16.5 billion to almost 2,000 nonprofits. She’s also an author, having published two books so far. Also Read: The top 10 richest people in Asia in 2024
8. Gina Rinehart
- Age: 70
- Country: Australia
While Gina’s father, Lang Hancock, initially built Hancock Prospecting—a mining and agricultural firm—Gina rescued it from financial straits and rebuilt the business. She took over as executive chairwoman in 1992.Hancock Prospecting has been revealed to be a major shareholder in MP Materials, the rare-earth material company that recently discussed a merger with Lynas Rare Earths.
9. Abigail Johnson
- Age: 62
- Country: United States
Abigail Johnson became the CEO of Fidelity Investments in 2014, inheriting the firm from her father. She owns a 28.5 percent stake in the company. Notably, Fidelity has recently forayed into Bitcoin spot ETFs in the US, the instrument operating under the ticker FBTC.
10. Elaine Marshall & family
- Age:82
- Country: United States
In 2006, Elaine Marshall and her two sons inherited the 16 percent beneficial stake her husband, E. Pierce Marshall, held in Koch Industries. According to various media reports, Marshall leads a circumspect and quiet life in Dallas, Texas. Despite this lifestyle choice, the family made headlines when Marshall’s father-in-law, J Howard Marshall, married a former stripper and Playboy model, Anna Nicole Smith, 26, in 1994. He was 89 at the time. Her father-in-law was an early partner of Koch Industries founder Fred Koch. Minority control was passed down from him to Pierce and then to the trust representing Elaine and her two sons. According to Forbes, her son Preston Marshall is a former director of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank co-founded by Charles Koch. The other son, E Pierce Marshall, Jr., runs the investment firm Elevage Capital Management.