Who are the richest women in the world?
THE top five richest women in the world have a combined wealth of nearly $269.5 billion.
The 337 women on Forbes' 2023 list of billionaires make up just 13% of the billionaire population.
Who are the richest women in the world?
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
For the third year in a row, French heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers tops the list of the world's richest women.
According to , she has a net worth of $80.5 billion.
Bettencourt Meyers inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, who passed away in 2017.
Liliane Bettencourt was the daughter of Eugene Schueller, who founded L’Oréal.
Bettencourt Meyers has served on the L’Oreal board for more than two decades.
She has been married to Jean-Pierre Meyers since 1984.
Julia Koch
Julia Koch, the widow of businessman David Koch, and her family have a net worth of $59 billion.
Koch and her three children have a 42% stake in Koch Industries.
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Charles Koch, David's older brother, has been quietly giving away a portion of his stake in Koch Industries, though he still has 42% voting power.
Julia has three children, Mary, John, and David Jr.
She currently oversees the David H. Koch Foundation and is a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Alice Walton
Alice Walton's net worth is estimated to be around $56.7 billion.
Her father Sam Walton, who died in 1992, founded Walmart and Sam's Club.
Walton is known for opening an art museum in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2011.
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art includes work from Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko.
The museum offers free public admission.
Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars has a net worth of $38.3 billion.
She owns one-third of candy and pet food multinational giant Mars Inc., which produces candy like M&M's and Snickers.
The company was founded in 1911 by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars.
Jacqueline's brother, John, also owns one-third of Mars Inc.
Her late brother Forrest Jr.'s four daughters own the remaining third.
Mars worked for the company for 20 years and also served on its board until 2016.
Her son, Stephen Badger, is currently on Mars' board of directors.
Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson is the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the world's largest casino operator.
Adelson has an estimated net worth of $35 billion.
She inherited her stake after her husband Sheldon Adelson passed away in 2021.
A medical doctor by trade, Adelson has given nearly $1 billion of her fortune to fund medical research and drug discovery.
In 2018, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, Julia Koch, Alice Walton, Jacqueline Mars, and Miriam Adelson are the top five richest women in the world.
The remaining women rounding out the top ten list include:
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, who co-founded a shipping empire with her husband, has a net worth of $31.2 billion.
Susanne Klatten, who has a 19% stake in BMW and owns Altana, a chemicals company founded by her grandfather, has a net worth of $27.4 billion.
Gina Rinehart, who inherited the mining and agriculture company Hancock Prospecting Group from her late father, Lang Hancock, has a net worth of $27 billion, which also makes her the richest person in Australia.
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MacKenzie Scott, who has donated more than $14 billion to over 1,600 charities after inheriting 4% of Amazon, the company her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, founded, still has a net worth of $24.4 billion.
Iris Fontbona, whose net worth of $23.1 billion makes her the wealthiest woman in Latin America, is the widow of Chilean tycoon Andrónico Luksic, who built a mining and beverage empire.