Top 20 Richest Women and the Routes to Their Fortunes

Women comprise half the world’s population and yet only hold a third of the world’s private wealth. Gender inequality and laws prohibiting and restricting women from owning property are significant reasons for this disparity.

Our list of the top 20 wealthiest people only includes two women, in fact. For this reason, we’ve put together a list of the top 20 richest women on the planet. It features heiresses, self-made entrepreneurs, politicians, and philanthropists. Let’s find out more about them.

Top 20 Richest Women

Like this infographic? Feel free to use it on your website or blog, but please remember to give us credit by linking back to techreport.com/statistics/top-richest-women in your post.

20-11

The first ten women on our list come from different countries and backgrounds, but the majority of them are heiresses.

20. Judy Love

Net worth: $11.5 billion

At the start of our list, we have one half of the entrepreneurial Love couple. Tom and Judy Love created a chain of American convenience stores called “Love’s Travel Stops.” Also known as “Love’s,” the retail chain has earned the couple a net worth of $11.5 billion.

After Tom Love’s passing earlier this year, his 86-year-old wife Judy now owns the company with her four children. She’s actively involved in the community in her home state of Oklahoma.

19. Kwong Siu-hing

Net worth: $13 billion

The richest woman in Hong Kong takes the nineteenth spot on our list, with a net worth of $13 billion. Kwong Siu-hing is an important member of the Kwok family, which owns the city’s largest property developer, Sun Hung Kai. At 93, she’s the oldest person on our list.

Kwong owns about 40% of the property conglomerate. She was the chairperson of the company from 2008 to 2011.

18. Laurene Powell Jobs

Meet Chef @chefkarlahoyos! Karla has worked with our @WCKitchen team across the world… in Haiti, Puerto Rico, Spain, Bahamas & more! Now she is leading the WCK kitchen in Poland…cooking for thousands of Ukrainian refugees every day as they cross the border. #ChefsForUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/Gx8BV3ehQ0

— José Andrés 🇺🇸🇪🇸🇺🇦 (@chefjoseandres) March 18, 2022

Net worth: $14 billion

Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has a net worth of around $14 billion. A significant chunk of her wealth comes from having inherited her late husband’s shares in Disney and Apple.

Laurene, 59, also runs XQ Institute, a non-profit organization in education, and the philanthropic Emerson Collective. She’s previously been an entrepreneur and has worked in finance.

17. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

Net worth: $14.7 billion

Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, 69, is the richest person in the Netherlands, with a net worth of $14.7 billion. As you can probably guess, she comes from beer money and is an heiress from the Heineken family.

She has a 25% stake in the Dutch beer conglomerate, and she and her family are on the company board.

16. Diane Hendricks

Net worth: $16 billion

The co-founder of ABC Supply, 76-year-old Diane Hendricks, is number sixteen on our list and, unlike many others, is a self-made woman. She has a net worth of $16 billion, most of which comes from the company.

Before creating ABC Supply with her late husband, Ken Hendricks, Diane sold custom homes. She’s a donor to the Republican Party and runs several philanthropic initiatives in her home state of Wisconsin.

15. Renata Kellnerova

Renáta Kellnerová s rodinou odkoupili prostřednictvím jimi plně vlastněné společnosti minoritní podíly ostatních akcionářů skupiny PPF, Ladislava Bartoníčka a J.-P. Duvieusarta, a stali se tak stoprocentními vlastníky skupiny PPF.👇 #jsmePPF https://t.co/oxzOuYwkrY

— Skupina PPF (@SkupinaPPF) September 1, 2023

Net worth: $16.6 billion

The 56-year-old widow of Czechia’s richest man, Petr Kellner, Renata Kellnerova, has a net worth of over $16.6 billion, putting her at number fifteen in our rating. After inheriting her late husband’s majority share in his investment conglomerate, PFF Group, Kellnerova is now Czechia’s richest citizen.

In addition to PFF Group, Kellnerova runs the Kellner Family Foundation, which provides grants to Czech students.

14. Beate Heister

Net worth: $16.9 billion

Beate Heister, 71, is the heiress of the Aldi supermarket chain – and she’s not the only retail heiress on our list. The German billionaire, who inherited Karl Albercht’s fortune together with her brother, has a net worth of almost $17 billion and is one of the richest people in the country.

13. Vicky Safra

Net worth: $17.6 billion

Vicky Safra, the richest woman in the prominent Safra family, inherited her fortune from her late husband, Joseph Safra, increasing her net worth to $17.6 billion.

The 71-year-old Greek billionaire and philanthropist is the richest woman in Greece. She heads the Joseph Safra philanthropic foundation. Her children are primarily responsible for the family’s various business ventures.

12. Savitri Jindal

सभी देशवासियों को स्वतंत्रता दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। जय हिंद🇮🇳#स्वतंत्रतादिवस #IndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/X60qbdKKkD

— Savitri Jindal (@SavitriJindal) August 15, 2023

Net worth: $22 billion

This billionaire is the richest woman in India and has a net worth of $22 billion. Savitri Jindal is the chairperson of the steel-manufacturing Jindal Group, which was created by her late husband.

Jindal is also a former politician, having held several posts as a minister in the Indian government. She’s actively involved in the social welfare initiatives of the Jindal Group.

11. Abigail Johnson

Net worth: $22.5 billion

The chairperson of her grandfather’s company, Fidelity Investments, Abigail Pierrepont Johnson has narrowly missed out on being among the top ten richest women on our list.

With her net worth of $22.5 billion, 61-year-old Johnson owns a 25% stake in Fidelity and is also a board member in Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

10-6

Source: Statista

In the top 10, we have a number of heiresses, entrepreneurs, authors, and philanthropists from around the world.

10. Iris Fontbona

Net worth: $23 billion

The tenth spot belongs to the Chilean businesswoman Iris Fontbona, whose net worth amounts to $23 billion. Her late husband created one of the biggest mining companies in the world, Antofagasta, which she inherited upon his death. She owns 65% of the company.

In addition, the 81-year-old holds a majority stake in the Chilean financial and investment conglomerate Quiñenco. She also runs several philanthropic initiatives.

9. MacKenzie Scott

Net worth: $24.4 billion

In the ninth position, we have author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who used to be married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She holds a 4% stake in Amazon, bringing her net worth to $24.4 billion.

In recent years, 53-year-old Scott has been donating significant parts of her wealth to various charities. She’s also a novelist.

8. Gina Rinehart

Net worth: $27 billion

The only Australian on our list is also the richest person in Australia. Georgina Rinehart, better known as “Gina,” took over Hancock Prospecting, her father’s iron ore company, in 1992, and she currently serves as its Executive Chairperson.

Rinehart, 69, controls the majority of Hancock Prospecting, which has become one of the country’s most successful enterprises under her leadership. Her net worth is estimated to be $27 billion.

7. Susanne Klatten

Net worth: $27.4 billion

Narrowly pulling ahead of Gina Rinehart is the 61-year-old German billionaire Susanne Klatten. Most of her net worth of $27.4 billion comes from her shares in the pharma company Altana, which she inherited from her father, as well as her 19% BMW stake.

6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant

Net worth: $29.4 billion

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, 78, is the wife of Swiss-Italian shipping magnate Gianluigi Aponte, who founded the Mediterranean Shipping Company in 1970. Rafaela and Gianluigi own 50% of the company each, bringing Rafaela’s wealth to $29.4 billion. She’s apparently responsible for decorating ships for MSC Cruises.

5-1

Like this infographic? Feel free to use it on your website or blog, but please remember to give us credit by linking back to techreport.com/statistics/top-richest-women in your post.

5. Miriam Adelson

Net worth: $35 billion

The American-Israeli billionaire physician Miriam Adelson is the widow of the late Sheldon Adelson. Upon his death in 2021, she inherited his Las Vegas Sands casino empire, making her net worth grow to $35 billion.

Adelson, 77, is the world’s richest Israeli and a prominent donor to the US Republican Party.

4. Jacqueline Mars

Net worth: $38.3 billion

The fourth person on our list owes her fortune to the popularity of candy produced by Mars, Inc. Indeed, 83-year-old Jacqueline Mars is an heiress to the Mars fortune, as the granddaughter of the company’s founder and has a net worth of over $38 billion.

3. Julia Koch

Net worth: $59 billion

Next is 61-year-old Julia Koch, sister-in-law to Charles Koch, who’s number 20 on our list of the top 20 richest people in the world. After the passing of her husband, David Koch, in 2019, Julia inherited 42% of Koch Industries, bringing her net worth to $59 billion.

2. Alice Walton

Net worth: $64 billion

You might well recognize 73-year-old Alice Walton from our list of the top 20 richest people on Earth. The assets of the Walmart heiress and art aficionado make up a fortune of $64 billion, putting her in second place on our list.

1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

Net worth: $88 billion

And the richest woman in the world today is 70-year-old Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who is the daughter of the late Liliane Bettencourt, who passed away in 2017, and the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oreal.

Françoise’s net worth is $88 billion, thanks to her shares in the French cosmetics giant. She also engages in religious writing.

Top 20 Richest Women and the Routes to Their Fortunes

Top 20 Richest Women