Women represent just over 13% of billionaires, who, by the way, are richer than ever.
Women occupy a small but growing portion of Forbes’ list of global billionaires . This year, 369 of 2,781 billionaires, 13.3% of all those on the list, are women . A fact that draws attention, since in 2023 the citron was 337, that is, 12.8% of the general list. Together they are worth almost $1.8 trillion, about $240 billion more than last year.
The novelty is there, in the increase of women on a mostly male list. However, once this information is obtained, there are no big surprises, because the names are the same as always. For the fourth year in a row, the richest woman in the world is L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers . Her fortune has increased by $19 billion in the past year, putting her net worth at $99.5 billion, the biggest gain of any woman on the 2024 list, but she is still many millions of dollars away from becoming the first woman to ‘sneak’ into the 100 billion dollar club.
But its presence on this list is not a result of current events. For more than two decades, a Bettencourt or Walton heiress has held the number one spot among all women. Bettencourt Meyers first held the top spot in 2019, two years after the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, who held the title for six years. The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, art devotee Alice Walton, was the richest woman between 2018 and 2020. Her sister-in-law Christy Walton was above her for seven years after her death. her husband John Walton; Subsequently, her fortune was divided between her and her son Lukas.
What do the women on this list have in common?
Nine of the 10 richest women inherited their fortunes, either from their fathers, husbands or, in Bettencourt’s case, her mother . MacKenzie Scott is the only one in the top 10 who got her fortune through divorce. Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, who is worth $35.6 billion, has earned $11.2 billion compared to last year. The billionaire philanthropist recently donated $640 million to more than 300 nonprofit organizations, bringing her total lifetime philanthropic giving to $17.3 billion. If she hadn’t been so generous, she would be worth $69 billion and she would be the third richest woman on the list, not the fifth as now.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, co-founder of one of the largest shipping companies in the world, is once again the richest self-made woman on the Forbes list . She is also the seventh richest woman on the overall list of the 100 richest people and the only one of the top 10 richest women who is self-made. This year, 100 women on the list are self-made, that is, they founded or co-founded a company or built their fortune themselves, rather than inheriting it. Another 200 women inherited their fortunes, while 69 women are working to expand the successful businesses they inherited.
Abigail Johnson, the richest woman who inherited and is growing her company, is the 10th richest woman in the world this year, up from 11th last year . The Fidelity Investments CEO replaced her father in 2014 and helped grow revenue to $28.2 billion in 2023, a record for the company.
The two new additions to the list of the richest women
There are 46 new women who have earned a spot on the 2024 list , some through stock market rallies and others through inheritance. The new richest women are two sisters, Märta Schörling Andreen and Sofia Högberg Schörling from Sweden. Her father, billionaire investor Melker Schörling, died in December 2023 and left his fortune to his daughters, ages 39 and 45, respectively. Each one is worth $5.6 billion.
Two other newcomers come from the technology sector: Michelle Zatlyn , co-founder of the cybersecurity company Cloudflare, and Lisa Su , director of the semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices. And both women have benefited from the rise in their respective companies’ shares over the past year.
The most notable addition of all is pop star Taylor Swift , whose Eras tour netted her approximately $190 million after taxes, making her the first multi-millionaire musician funded solely by performances, recordings and a Lucrative $500 million music catalog . She debuted as a billionaire in October.
These are the 10 richest women in the world:
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and family
Net worth: $99.5 billion | Age: 70 | Source of wealth: L’Oréal | Citizenship: France
The granddaughter of the founder of L’Oréal and heir to the family fortune is the richest woman in the world for the fourth consecutive year. Most of her wealth is tied to her nearly 35% stake in cosmetics giant L’Oréal Group, which has $45 billion in revenue and prominent brands such as Maybelline, Kiehl’s and Lancôme. . Bettencourt Meyers, who inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane Bettencourt (who died in 2017), first appeared on Forbes’ billionaires list in 2018, worth $42.2 billion.
Alicia Walton
Net worth: $72.3 billion | Age: 74 | Source of wealth: Walmart | Citizenship: USA
America’s richest woman is $15.6 billion richer this year, thanks to a 34% rise in Walmart’s stock price over the past 12 months. The heiress is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (died 1992). Unlike her brothers, she never served on the retailer’s board of directors; instead, she focused on art. She is known for opening the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, which features works by Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko.
Julia Koch and family
Net worth: $64.3 billion | Age: 61 | Source of wealth: Koch Industries | Citizenship: USA
The widow of David Koch (who died in 2019) went from the second to the third richest woman this year. She and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries, which has businesses ranging from oil refining and medical technology to paper towels. She is a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jacqueline Mars
Net worth: $38.5 billion | Age: 84 | Source of wealth: candy, pet food | Citizenship: USA
The Mars Inc. heiress owns the candy and pet food giant along with her brother, John Mars, and her late brother Forrest Jr.’s four daughters. The company owns iconic brands, including M&Ms, Snickers, Ben’s Original and Pedigree , Dog food. It was founded by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, who began selling buttercream candies from his kitchen in 1911. Her son, Stephen Badger, is on Mars’ board of directors.
MacKenzie Scott
Net worth: $35.6 billion | Age: 53 | Source of wealth: Amazon | Citizenship: USA
The billionaire philanthropist took 4% of Amazon following her divorce from Jeff Bezos in 2019 and pledged to give away most of her wealth shortly after. In March, Scott awarded $640 million to 361 organizations that had applied for funding in a competition. Her lifetime gifts have totaled $17.3 billion, made up of a collection of smaller, no-strings-attached gifts that often surprise recipients.
Savitri Jindal and family
Net worth: $33.5 billion | Age: 74 | Source of wealth: steel | Citizenship: India
The chairman of the Jindal Group and widow of the founder, Om Prakash Jindal (died 2005), is the richest woman in India. Jindal Group operates in the steel, power, cement and infrastructure sectors. Following OP Jindal’s death in a helicopter accident, the group’s companies were divided among her four children, who now run them independently. Jindal was the 12th richest woman in 2023; Rising stock prices raised her fortune.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Net worth: $33.1 billion | Age: 79 | Source of Wealth: Shipping | Citizenship: Switzerland and Italy
Aponte-Diamant and her husband Gianluigi Aponte, co-founders of MSC, each own a 50% stake in the company they founded in 1970, which has since become the world’s largest shipping line. She is responsible for the decoration of the company’s MSC Cruises ships. She and her husband entered the industry using a $200,000 loan to buy a boat.
Miriam Adelson and family
Net worth: $32 billion | Age: 78 | Source of wealth: Casinos | Citizenship: USA
Adelson and his family own more than half of Las Vegas Sands, one of the largest casino operators in the world. She inherited the stake after her husband, Sheldon Adelson, the longtime kingmaker of the Republican Party, died in 2021. As a doctor, she has donated more than $1 billion over her lifetime to fund research. medicine and drug discovery, according to Forbes estimates .
Gina Rinehart
Net worth: $30.8 billion | Age: 70 | Source of wealth: Mining | Citizenship: Australia
The Australian magnate chairs the mining and agricultural company Hancock Prospecting Group. She inherited the business from her father Lang Hancock (died 1992). Her fortune has increased by 14% since March 2023 and she remains the richest person in Australia.
Abigail Johnson
Net worth: $29 billion | Age: 62 | Source of wealth: Fidelity Investments | Citizenship: USA
The head of mutual fund giant Fidelity dropped from 11th place to rejoin this year’s 10 richest women. Johnson was CEO of Fidelity Investments until 2014, after which she replaced her father, Edward ‘Ned’ Johnson III (died 2022). She owns an estimated 28.5% stake in the company, which has $4.9 trillion in assets under management. The company was founded by her grandfather in 1946.
