Just 14% of the world’s wealthiest people are women. Here are the richest of them all.
The Forbes World’s Billionaires ranking remains disproportionately male, but the percentage of women among the world’s wealthiest people continues to tick up slowly. This year, 481 of the planet’s 3,428 billionaires are women, accounting for 14% of the list. That’s up from 406 female billionaires, or 13.4% of the ranking last year.
The world’s richest woman for the second straight year is Walmart heiress Alice Walton, who is worth an estimated $134 billion. French L’Oréal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Julia Koch, the widow of industrialist David Koch (d. 2019), still rank second and third, worth an estimated $100 billion and $81.2 billion, respectively.
Candy and pet food heiress Jacqueline Mars ($49.1 billion) fell one spot to No. 5 and was overtaken by Iris Fontbona ($52.6 billion), the Chilean widow of mining and beverage mogul Andrónico Luksic (d. 2005), who jumped from outside the top 10 to No. 4.
The only self-made woman among the 10 richest is Swiss shipping mogul Rafaela Aponte-Diamant ($44.5 billion), who dropped from No. 5 to No. 6. She is the richest of just 122 female billionaires (up from 113 a year ago) who made their own money rather than inheriting it. The next richest self-made woman is American roofing magnate Diane Hendricks ($22.3 billion). Among the most famous self-made women are Beyonce ($1 billion), who is a newcomer to this year’s list and several veterans of the ranking such as Rihanna ($1 billion), Spanx founder Sara Blakely ($1.4 billion) and Taylor Swift ($2 billion).
Another fresh face: Luana Lopes Lara ($1.3 billion), a former ballerina from Brazil who cofounded prediction market firm Kalshi. At age 29, she is now the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire, taking the title from 31-year-old Scale AI cofounder Lucy Guo ($1.4 billion), who had taken the title from Swift last April.
Bill Gates’ ex-wife Melinda French Gates ($30.3 billion) and Marilyn Simons ($32.5 billion), the widow of quantitative trading pioneer Jim Simons (d. 2024), dropped out of the top 10 after making the cut last year. The two American philanthropists were replaced by Fontbona and Zheng Shuliang at No. 10 ($33.2 billion); Zheng serves as vice chair of the Chinese aluminum products company founded by her late husband.
Here are the top 10 richest women in the world in 2026.
#10. Zheng Shuliang & family
Net worth: $33.2 billion (vs. $15.4 billion) | Age: 80 | Source of wealth: Aluminum products | Citizenship: China
One of only two Asian women in the top 10, Zheng is vice chair of China Hongqiao Group, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers. Founded in 1994 by her late husband Zhang Shiping (d. 2019), the company is now run by her son, Zhang Bo, who serves as CEO and chairman. Traded in Hong Kong and boasting more than $21 billion of revenue in 2024, Hongqiao employs more than 52,000 people. Zheng’s daughter, Zhang Hongxia, chairs textile producer Weiqiao Textile, which also traded in Hong Kong before going private in 2024.
#9. Abigail Johnson
Net worth: $33.2 billion (vs. $32.7 billion) | Age: 64 | Source of wealth: Fidelity | Citizenship: United States
Johnson has served as chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments, which her grandfather Edward Johnson II (d. 1984) founded in 1946, for nearly a decade. The ninth most powerful woman in the world, per Forbes’ most recent list, Johnson ranked as the seventh-richest woman in the world last year but dropped to No. 9, despite getting an estimated $500 million richer, as she was surpassed by others.
#8. Miriam Adelson & family
Net worth: $37.5 billion (vs. $32.1 billion) | Age: 80 | Source of wealth: Casinos | Citizenship: United States
The widow of casino operator Las Vegas Sands’ founder Sheldon Adelson (d. 2021) saw her fortune rise by $5.4 billion as shares of the company climbed by 28% over the past year. A longtime GOP megadonor, she has emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s biggest financial backers and, perhaps in jest, offered him $250 million to run for a third term.
#7. Savitri Jindal & family
Net worth: $39.1 billion (vs. $35.5 billion) | Age: 75 | Source of wealth: Steel | Citizenship: India
The richest woman in India derives her wealth from the Jindal Group, which has interests in steel, power, cement and infrastructure. The conglomerate was founded by her late husband, O.P. Jindal, who died in a helicopter crash in 2005. Her four sons now run various units of the business.
#6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Net worth: $44.5 billion (vs. $37.7 billion) | Age: 80 | Source of wealth: Shipping | Citizenship: Switzerland
Shipping mogul Aponte-Diamant ($44.5 billion) runs the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which she cofounded with her husband Gianluigi Aponte. The couple, who met on the Italian island of Capri, started out with a $200,000 loan to finance their first ship and within nine years amassed a fleet of 17. Today their privately held company—which operates cruises, logistics and port operations—is one of the world’s largest shipping conglomerates. Last year MSC partnered with BlackRock to buy a portfolio of 43 ports from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.
#5. Jacqueline Mars
Net worth: $49.1 billion (vs. $42.6 billion) | Age: 86 | Source of wealth: Candy | Citizenship: United States
The third-generation heir to the Mars confectionery fortune saw her net worth rise by an estimated $6.5 billion over the past year. Her family’s company, best known for producing some of America’s most famous snacks (including M&M’s, Pringles and Combos) is also one of the biggest players in pet care. Mars was founded by Jaqueline’s grandfather Frank C. Mars in 1883; Jaqueline worked for the conglomerate for nearly 20 years and served on the board until 2016.
#4. Iris Fontbona & family
Net worth: $52.6 billion (vs. $28.1 billion) | Age: 83 | Source of wealth: Mining | Citizenship: Chile
Chile’s richest person derives her wealth primarily from London Stock Exchange-listed Antofagasta, an owner of copper mines, which she inherited from her late husband Andrónico Luksic, who died in 2005. One of the biggest gainers among the top 10, her fortune is up $24.5 billion over the past year thanks to record-high copper prices.
#3. Julia Koch & family
Net worth: $81.2 billion (vs. $74.2 billion) | Age: 63 | Source of wealth: Koch, Inc. | Citizenship: United States
The widow of industrialist David Koch (d. 2019) owns an estimated 42% of Koch, Inc. (formerly Koch Industries), America’s second-largest private company by revenue. In October, she and her three kids acquired 10% of the NFL’s New York Giants in a transaction that valued the team at around $10 billion. The deal came a little more than a year after the family paid nearly $700 million for 15% of BSE Global, which owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and WNBA’s New York Liberty.
#2. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family
Net worth: $100 billion (vs. $81.6 billion) | Age: 72 | Source of wealth: L’Oréal | Citizenship: France
The reclusive grandaughter of L’Oreal’s founder saw her net worth increase by an estimated $18.4 billion over the past year, as shares of her family’s cosmetics conglomerate climbed by 13%. Bettencourt Meyers, who briefly became the world’s first female centibillionaire in 2024, stepped down from the board of the French beauty giant in 2025, bringing her 28-year tenure to a close. She had also served as vice-chair since 2020, a position that was taken over by her son Jean-Victor Meyers.
#1. Alice Walton
Net worth: $134 billion (vs. $101 billion) | Age: 76 | Source of wealth: Walmart | Citizenship: United States
The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992) added $33 billion to her fortune as shares of the retailer surged by 30% over the past year. Driven by robust earnings and a rise in global e-commerce sales, Walmart became the first traditional retailer to achieve a $1 trillion market cap in February.
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
Look back on the week that was with hand-picked articles from Australia and around the world. Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here or become a member here.
