The richest women in the world have more in common than luxury lifestyles — they’re holding stakes in the global economy.
The world’s wealthiest women didn’t just sit on fortunes. They inherited empires, scaled them, pivoted to new markets and, in some cases, rewrote the rulebook in industries dominated by men. Some of them run businesses behind the scenes while others practice philanthropy in the arts, sciences and tech.
Most of these women hold significant stakes in private or publicly traded companies. Their wealth is tied to various sectors and industries, from consumer goods to chemicals to casinos. All the women on this list inherited their wealth, though each is now a billionaire in her own right.
Here are the world’s 10 richest women and some of their key investments, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of April 30, 2025.
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The world’s 10 richest women
1. Alice Walton: $113 billion
The only daughter of Walmart (WMT) founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton inherited her share of the family’s retail fortune. She’s watched it balloon as the company expanded over the years and Walmart’s stock price climbed.
Though she’s never worked for Walmart in an executive role, she co-manages one of the family’s two organizations — Walton Enterprises.
Outside of retail, Walton is a patron of the arts and health care access in rural communities. That said, she still holds a significant stake in Walmart — and given the stock’s consistent performance, that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
2. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers: $89.7 billion
Bettencourt Meyers is the heiress to the L’Oréal fortune. Her grandfather started the cosmetics giant in 1909, and Bettencourt Meyers inherited it after the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, once the world’s richest woman.
Bettencourt Meyers sits on L’Oréal’s board of directors and is the biggest shareholder in L’Oréal, with an almost 35 percent stake as of November 2024.
3. Julia Flesher Koch and family: $72.4 billion
Julia Koch became one of the wealthiest women on the planet after the death of her husband, David Koch, in 2019. Alongside her three children, she inherited a 42 percent stake in Koch Industries.
With 125,000 employees and estimated annual revenue topping $125 billion, Koch Industries is the second-largest privately held company in America, according to Forbes, with a hand in everything from oil refining and chemical production to paper products.
4. Jacqueline Badger Mars: $43.6 billion
Jacqueline Mars is the matriarch of candy. She’s one-third owner of Mars Inc., the company behind M&M’s, Snickers, Skittles and a host of other food brands. Mars Inc. is the fourth-largest privately held company in the U.S., and its valuation keeps rising as it expands into health-conscious snacks and pet care.
Mars is also known for her philanthropy in animal welfare, environmental conservation and the arts.
5. Abigail Johnson: $37.3 billion
Abigail Johnson is one of the few on this list who’s actively running the empire she inherited. As CEO and president of Fidelity Investments, she controls one of the largest asset managers in the world. She took over as CEO from her father, Ned Johnson, in 2014 and has since modernized the firm with a focus on digital tools and new products aimed at millennial and Gen Z investors.
Her wealth stems directly from her ownership stake in Fidelity, a firm that manages trillions in assets and is key to how everyday Americans build retirement wealth.
6. MacKenzie Scott: $35.5 billion
MacKenzie Scott is one of the rare billionaires actively trying to make herself less rich by donating to causes she believes in. She achieved her wealth through a very public divorce from Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos. When the divorce was finalized in 2019, Scott received Amazon shares valued at about $36 billion at the time.
As of March 2024, she’d given away more than $17 billion to over 2,300 nonprofits through her foundation. She’s supported causes including racial equality, gender equality, climate change and education. Her remaining net worth is still massive, mostly held in Amazon stock, but shrinking by design.
7. Savitri Jindal: $31.7 billion
Savitri Jindal’s wealth flows from steel. She’s the matriarch of the Jindal Group, a massive Indian conglomerate with interests in steel, power, infrastructure and cement. After the death of her husband, O.P. Jindal, she took over the family business and watched it flourish under the leadership of her sons, who run different arms of the company.
8. Miriam Adelson: $31.3 billion
Miriam Adelson’s wealth comes from casinos — specifically, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS), the gaming empire built by her late husband, Sheldon Adelson. After his death in 2021, she inherited the controlling stake in the company, which owns casinos and resorts in Macau and Singapore.
In 2023, she bought a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks for $2 billion. Her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, is president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which has reportedly been aggressively lobbying to expand legalized gambling into Texas.
9. Iris Fontbona and family: $30.9 billion
Chile’s richest woman, Iris Fontbona inherited her fortune after the death of her husband, Andrónico Luksic, who built one of Latin America’s largest mining and beverage empires. She now controls Antofagasta PLC, a publicly traded copper mining company, along with stakes in banks, breweries and shipping.
10. Susanne Klatten: $25.5 billion
Susanne Klatten turned inherited wealth into a diversified empire. She owns significant stakes in BMW (via her late father’s legacy) and the pharmaceutical company Altana, which she helped turn into a powerhouse. Klatten studied economics and actively worked to grow her holdings.
Klatten has also expanded into clean energy and biotech, using her private investment firm to back early stage startups in Europe.
How to build your own fortune
Becoming a billionaire is rare, but building lasting wealth is well within reach for most people.
Nearly all of the women on this list have one key thing in common: They own shares — and a lot of them. Their fortunes are tied to major companies that dominate their industries, from retail and cosmetics to energy and finance.
They also gained control of high-value businesses. While some have played active roles in growing these companies, the bulk of their net worth comes from owning large stakes in them. It’s equity — not salary — that drives their wealth.
While you may not be able to replicate billionaire-level ownership, you can still build your own fortune by investing in the same markets. One of the simplest ways to start is by investing in index funds. These funds give you exposure to a broad slice of the stock market in a single purchase, offering instant diversification and historically delivering average annual returns around 10 percent. It’s little wonder they’re near the top of the list of Bankrate’s best investments for beginners.
Beginner-friendly brokerages also make getting started easy. You don’t need a lot of money to open an account — many platforms now let you get started with $10 or less and offer low or no fees.
But you’ll need time to build real wealth. Remember, many of the women on this list inherited their wealth through family empires, which often took decades to build. You may not have decades to build a family empire, but if you want to build real generational wealth, you’ll need to start early — or help your kids get a head start on investing.
If you’re unsure where to start or how to allocate your investments, working with a financial advisor can be incredibly helpful. These financial professionals can guide you in building a strategy based on your goals, timeline and risk tolerance.
Bottom line
The women on this list show that financial power is achievable. Whether you’re starting with a few hundred dollars or a windfall, the concept remains the same: Invest regularly, stay informed and play an active role in your financial future.
Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.
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