Twenty years ago, if someone had said that women would be running businesses and making billions, it would have been termed a far-fetched thought. But 20 years is a long time and a lot of things can change in such a long time including the perception of people. Women are no longer limited to household chores or handling the family. Today, women fly jets, go to wars and run successful businesses. At present, there are 234 female billionaires in the world and the number is only going to increase in the coming years. From young entrepreneurs to seasoned businesswomen, the list of top female billionaires feature women from different age groups.
Some women grew rich by establishing their own businesses while some inherited wealth worth billions from their family. Here’s a list of the 10 richest women in the world.
Gina Rinehart, Australia ( $13.1 Billion)
66-year-old Gina Rinehart from Australia is the tenth richest woman on the planet with enough wealth to create over a dozen billionaires. Rinehart tried her luck in the field of mining and it paid off really well. She is the daughter of iron-ore explorer Lang Hancock and has been the chairperson of Hancock Prospecting group since 1992. The firm deals in the extraction of minerals. After her father’s demise, Rinehart inherited a 76.6% share of the business. She expanded the firm into the fields of Television, newspaper and agriculture and is the richest Australian. The net worth of Rinehart is $13.1 billion.
Zhong Huijuan, China ( $14.6 Billion)
59-year-old Zhong Huijuan is the founder of drug-making firm Hanson Pharmaceutical. She founded the firm in 1995 and it specialises in the production of cancer, anti-diabetic, psychoactive and other drugs. The shares of the firm rose by 10% between January to March 2020 amid the massive outbreak of coronavirus in the country. She is the richest self-made woman in entire Asia with a net worth of $14.6 billion.
Laurene Powell Jobs, USA ( $16.4 Billion)
At the 8th spot is Apple co-founder and Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs. 56-year-old Jobs co-founded and became president of College Track in 1997. College Track is a philanthropic and investment firm. She inherited a 7.3% stake in Disney ( approximately worth $11.1 billion) after Steve Jobs’ demise in 2011. She also inherited 38.5 million shares in Apple. The net worth of Laurene Powell Jobs is $16.4 billion.
Susanne Klatten, Germany ( $16.8 Billion)
German has been a torchbearer as far as women empowerment and equality are concerned. 58-year-old Susanne Klatten, the heir to the German carmaker, BMW, is the seventh richest person in the world with a net worth of $16.8 billion. This is even after a 20% slump in her net worth in 2020 due to a sharp decline in car sales due to coronavirus. Klatten is also the owner of a pharmaceutical firm Altana that makes her the richest person in Germany.
Yang Huiyan, China ( $20.3 Billion)
Another Chinese personality finds a place on the list in the form of 38-year-old Yang Huiyan. Huiyan became the richest woman in Asia after she inherited a majority stake in her father’s real estate company Country Garden in 2007. Her company also set up automated food dispensing machines for Chinese medical workers in Wuhan amid coronavirus. The net worth of Huiyan is $20.3 billion.
Jacqueline Mars, USA ( $24.7 Billion)
The granddaughter of Mars brand founder Frank C. Mars, Jacqueline Mars is the fifth richest woman in the world. The 80-year-old billionaire inherited a third of the brand whose total worth is $35 billion. The current net worth of Jacqueline is $24.7 billion. She is the eldest personality on the list
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Julia Koch, USA ( $38.2 Billion)
Julia Koch, the widow of famous billionaire David Koch, is fourth on the list. 57-year-old Julia is a new joinee as she inherited a 42% share of Koch Industries upon her husband’s death in 2019. Koch Industries is a well established multinational firm with businesses in various fields including oil manufacturing, minerals, fertilizers and ranching.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, France ( $48.9 Billion)
66-year-old Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the only French woman on the list. She is the heiress of the L’Oreal cosmetics empire and the third richest woman in the world. Francoise inherited the entire stake of L’Oreal after her mother, the daughter of L’Oreal’s founder Eugène Schueller, died in 2017. She remains to be one of the richest women in the world despite a slump in her company’s revenue amid the coronavirus pandemic. The shares of L’Oreal fell by 12% by March 2020 after which the firm entered sanitizer manufacturing. The net worth of Meyers is $48.9 billion.
Alice Walton, USA ( $53.2 Billion)
Alice Walton was the richest woman on the planet for a long time until Mackenzie Bezos toppled her. 70-year-old Alice is the only daughter of Walmart founder, Sam Walton. She is the ninth richest person on the planet her net worth has increased by 23% since 2019. While she doesn’t hold any position in Walmart group, Alice leads a programme at the Walton Foundation which distributes $300 million to schools in the US. Her net worth is $53.2 billion at present.
Mackenzie Scott, USA ( $68 Billion)
Mackenzie Scott was always on the list but reached at the helm only after her divorce with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. After her divorce, Mackenzie Scott became the wealthiest woman on the planet as she received a quarter of Bezos’ Amazon shares in the divorce settlement. She acquired a 4% stake in the firm worth more than $35 billion. With this, Scott became the 12th richest person on the planet. The current net worth of Scott is $68 billion.
