Top 10 richest women in the world in 2024
Jun 12, 2024, 17:14 IST
Although there are no women among the top 10 richest people globally, many women are amassing significant fortunes worldwide. The number of women billionaires is steadily increasing. Here is a look at the top 10 richest women in the world, according to Forbes, as of April 9, 2024.
Age: 70
Country: France
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the richest woman in the world, owes her wealth to generational inheritance. As the granddaughter of L'Oréal's founder, she and her family control over a third of the company. Francoise serves as the chairwoman of the family holding company. Although the company's performance dipped during the pandemic, it has since made a remarkable recovery. In fact, Francoise became the first woman to reach a fortune of $100 billion by the end of 2023.
Age: 74
Country: United States
Alice Walton, the second richest woman in the world, has a net worth of $72.7 billion. As the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, she has made a name for herself not just through her family's retail empire but also as an avid art curator. Alice's personal art collection is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Age: 62
Country: United States
Julia Koch, with a net worth of $66.1 billion, is a new addition to the list this year, ranking third among the world's richest women. She and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries from her late husband, David Koch, who passed away in August 2019 at the age of 79. Originally from Iowa, Julia moved to New York in the 1980s and worked as an assistant to fashion designer Adolfo.
Age: 84
Country: United States
Jacqueline Mars holds approximately one-third of Mars, the renowned candy, food, and pet care company founded by her grandfather. She served on the company board for nearly two decades until her retirement in 2016, passing the mantle to her son, Stephen Badger. An avid equestrian enthusiast, Jacqueline owns a horse farm in Virginia, recognized for training horses ridden by Olympic medalists.
Age: 53
Country: United States
During her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott received a 4 percent stake in the company. She pledged to give away about half of her wealth immediately after announcing the divorce terms, and she has already donated approximately $16.5 billion to nearly 2,000 nonprofits. Additionally, MacKenzie is an author, having published two books to date.
Age: 74
Country: India
Savitri Jindal, the only Indian woman among the top ten richest women in the world, is the chairperson of the Jindal Group, which operates across various sectors such as steel, power, cement, and infrastructure. She inherited her position and wealth from her late husband, Om Prakash Jindal, the founder of the Jindal Group.
Country: Switzerland
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant co-owns a 50 percent stake in MSC, the world's largest shipping line, with her husband, who holds the remaining 50 percent. Unlike many others on this list, she is a self-made woman, having started the business together with her husband.
Age: 78
Country: United States
Miriam Adelson, the widow of former Las Vegas Sands CEO and chairman Sheldon Adelson, owns over half of the casino company alongside her family. Las Vegas Sands is renowned for its casinos in Singapore and Macao. Miriam and her husband were notable political donors, having contributed $90 million to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, making them the largest donors that year.
Age: 70
Country: Australia
With a net worth of $30.7 billion, Gina Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately-owned mineral exploration and extraction company. An economics dropout from the University of Sydney, Rinehart is also listed among Forbes' 100 most powerful women in the world.
Country: United States
In 2014, Abigail Johnson assumed the role of CEO at Fidelity Investments, succeeding her father. She holds a significant 28.5 percent ownership stake in the company. Noteworthy is Fidelity's recent venture into Bitcoin spot ETFs in the US, with the instrument trading under the ticker FBTC.
SEE ALSO:
Top 10 richest people in the world
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| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Source of Wealth |
| 1 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Family | $92.2 billion | L'Oréal |
| 2 | Alice Walton | $72.7 billion | Walmart |
| 3 | Julia Koch and Family | $66.1 billion | Koch Industries |
| 4 | Jacqueline Mars | $38.7 billion | Mars Inc |
| 5 | MacKenzie Scott | $37.7 billion | Amazon |
| 6 | Savitri Jindal & family | $35.5 billion | JSW Group |
| 7 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $33.3 billion | Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Group |
| 8 | Miriam Adelson and Family | $32.1 billion | Las Vegas Sands |
| 9 | Gina Rinehart | $30.7 billion | Hancock Prospecting |
| 10 | Abigail Johnson | $29.6 billion | Fidelity Investments |
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Family
Age: 70
Country: France
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the richest woman in the world, owes her wealth to generational inheritance. As the granddaughter of L'Oréal's founder, she and her family control over a third of the company. Francoise serves as the chairwoman of the family holding company. Although the company's performance dipped during the pandemic, it has since made a remarkable recovery. In fact, Francoise became the first woman to reach a fortune of $100 billion by the end of 2023.
2. Alice Walton
Age: 74
Country: United States
Alice Walton, the second richest woman in the world, has a net worth of $72.7 billion. As the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, she has made a name for herself not just through her family's retail empire but also as an avid art curator. Alice's personal art collection is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
3. Julia Koch and Family
Age: 62
Country: United States
Julia Koch, with a net worth of $66.1 billion, is a new addition to the list this year, ranking third among the world's richest women. She and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries from her late husband, David Koch, who passed away in August 2019 at the age of 79. Originally from Iowa, Julia moved to New York in the 1980s and worked as an assistant to fashion designer Adolfo.
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4. Jacqueline Mars
Age: 84
Country: United States
Jacqueline Mars holds approximately one-third of Mars, the renowned candy, food, and pet care company founded by her grandfather. She served on the company board for nearly two decades until her retirement in 2016, passing the mantle to her son, Stephen Badger. An avid equestrian enthusiast, Jacqueline owns a horse farm in Virginia, recognized for training horses ridden by Olympic medalists.
5. MacKenzie Scott
Age: 53
Country: United States
During her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott received a 4 percent stake in the company. She pledged to give away about half of her wealth immediately after announcing the divorce terms, and she has already donated approximately $16.5 billion to nearly 2,000 nonprofits. Additionally, MacKenzie is an author, having published two books to date.
6. Savitri Jindal & family
Age: 74
Country: India
Savitri Jindal, the only Indian woman among the top ten richest women in the world, is the chairperson of the Jindal Group, which operates across various sectors such as steel, power, cement, and infrastructure. She inherited her position and wealth from her late husband, Om Prakash Jindal, the founder of the Jindal Group.
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7. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Age:79Country: Switzerland
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant co-owns a 50 percent stake in MSC, the world's largest shipping line, with her husband, who holds the remaining 50 percent. Unlike many others on this list, she is a self-made woman, having started the business together with her husband.
8. Miriam Adelson and Family
Age: 78
Country: United States
Miriam Adelson, the widow of former Las Vegas Sands CEO and chairman Sheldon Adelson, owns over half of the casino company alongside her family. Las Vegas Sands is renowned for its casinos in Singapore and Macao. Miriam and her husband were notable political donors, having contributed $90 million to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, making them the largest donors that year.
9. Gina Rinehart
Age: 70
Country: Australia
With a net worth of $30.7 billion, Gina Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately-owned mineral exploration and extraction company. An economics dropout from the University of Sydney, Rinehart is also listed among Forbes' 100 most powerful women in the world.
10. Abigail Johnson
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Age: 62Country: United States
In 2014, Abigail Johnson assumed the role of CEO at Fidelity Investments, succeeding her father. She holds a significant 28.5 percent ownership stake in the company. Noteworthy is Fidelity's recent venture into Bitcoin spot ETFs in the US, with the instrument trading under the ticker FBTC.
SEE ALSO:
Top 10 richest people in the world
Top 10 highest-paid actors in India