Who Is The World’s Richest Women

When talking about the rich, we usually think of the world’s top businessmen. Does that mean women aren’t as successful in business as men? Certainly not, because there are several businesswomen who have built their empires from scratch. Of course, there are cases where women have inherited from family or received wealth as part of divorce settlement. However, that should not be used as an agenda to prove that women lack business sense. Several of the women who have inherited their wealth are managing their business quite profitably. To better understand their work, here’s a quick look at some of the richest women in the world.

Miriam Adelson – Her wealth comes from her majority stake in Las Vegas Sands, a leading casino and resort company based in Nevada. She inherited the wealth after the death of her husband Sheldon Adelson. Her net worth is estimated to be around USD 37 billion. She is currently the richest Israeli in the world.

Jacqueline Mars – Her wealth comes from being the heiress to Mars, Incorporated, the popular candy, food and pet care company. The company was founded by her grandfather Frank C. Mars way back in 1911. It is estimated that Jacqueline and her brother own one-third each in the company. Her net worth is USD 45.2 billion.

Alice Walton – Heiress to the wealth created by Walmart, Alice Walton owns more than USD 11 billion shares in the company. Her net worth is more than USD 60 billion, making her one of the richest women in the world. Apart from her inherited wealth, Walton herself is a successful entrepreneur. She was the founder and CEO of an investment bank named Llama Company, which was launched in 1988.

Julia Koch – She is an heiress to the wealth created by Koch Industries, her family business. Koch is a Wichita, Kansas based manufacturing and processing company dealing in chemicals, petroleum products, fertilizers, and pulp & paper. Julia inherited the wealth after the death of her husband David Koch in 2019. Her net worth is estimated to be USD 64.6 billion, making her the second richest woman in the world.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers – She inherited her wealth from her mother Liliane Bettencourt and is currently the richest woman in the world. The wealth comes from Meyers’ maternal grandfather, the founder of cosmetics company L’Oreal. Bettencourt Meyers and her family own around 33% share in the company. Her net worth is estimated to be USD 85.2 billion. The inheritance was not without its share of controversies, as there were court cases between Meyers and her mother.

It is to note that this list does not include women who have earned their fortune as part of divorce settlements. That’s a completely different story, which you can read here.