Key Highlights
- Forbes’ latest ranking of the planet’s richest people, and there are only 337 billionaires out of 2,640
- Francoise Bettencourt Meyers retains her spot as the richest woman in the world for three consecutive years.
The 2023 Forbes World Billionaires List for Women features the 10 richest female individuals, with Francoise Bettencourt Meyers leading the pack for the third year in a row, thanks to her net worth of $80.5 billion.
According to Forbes, the total net worth of the top 10 women on the list is $402.6 billion, slightly higher than the $401 billion recorded in 2022.
Most of these wealthy women inherited their fortune. Forbes used stock prices and exchange rates from March 10 to calculate the personal fortunes of the world’s wealthiest people. Forbes reports that the number of billionaires worldwide has decreased from 2,668 in 2022 to 2,640 in 2023, after reaching an all-time high of 2,755 in 2021.
Unfortunately, the wealthiest individuals on the list continue to be predominantly male, with only 337 women, or 13% of the list, making it to the top.
Here are the 10 richest women in the world in 2023
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
The primary source of Francoise Bettencourt Meyers’ wealth is her 33% ownership in L’Oreal Group, a French company that specializes in beauty and skincare products. With a net worth of $80.5 billion, Meyers has retained the top spot on Forbes’ 2023 World Billionaires List for women for three consecutive years.
L’Oreal, which has been in business for over 100 years, generated $38.2 billion in revenue in 2022 and has a workforce of more than 85,000 people globally. The company’s stock experienced a 12% rise over the past year, thanks to high demand, leading to better-than-anticipated earnings and record sales for the year 2021.
Julia Koch
Following the death of her husband David in 2019, Julia Koch inherited a 42% share in Koch Industries along with her three children. As of 2023, she has moved up one position on the list of the world’s richest women, with a net worth of $59 billion, securing the title of the second-richest woman globally.
Alice Walton
Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton, inherited a share of Walmart from her father, who passed away in 1992. She is also known for establishing the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which showcases works by renowned artists like Warhol, Rockwell, and Rothko. As of 2023, Alice Walton’s personal fortune is valued at $56.7 billion, which places her in third place on the list of the world’s richest women.
Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars, who inherited an estimated one-third share of Mars Incorporated, a global corporation that produces sweets and pet food under various brands such as M&M’s, has moved up one place on the list of the world’s richest women. As of 2023, she holds the title of the fourth-wealthiest woman globally, with a net worth of $38.3 billion.
Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson, who inherited the majority stake in Las Vegas Sands, the world’s biggest casino operator, following the death of her husband Sheldon Adelson in 2021, is a medical doctor and has been estimated to have given almost $1 billion throughout her lifetime to support medical research and drug development.
As of 2023, her wealth has grown by $7.5 billion over the past year, moving her up two positions on the list of the world’s richest women. She now holds the title of the fifth-richest woman globally, with a net worth of $35 billion.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Rafaela Aponte is the co-owner of MSC, the world’s biggest shipping line, alongside her husband Gianluigi. As of 2023, she made her debut on the Forbes list as the sixth-richest woman globally, with a net worth of $31.2 billion.
Previously, Rafaela and Gianluigi were listed together as a couple; however, Forbes has implemented a broad overhaul of how shared wealth is categorized, resulting in their separate listing as individual billionaires.
Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten, an economist with an M.B.A., is the owner of 19% of BMW, the German automaker. Her mother was the third wife of the legendary industrialist Herbert Quandt, who played a crucial role in making BMW a leading name in the luxury car market.
Additionally, Klatten is also the owner of Altana, a chemicals company established by her grandfather. With a net worth of $27.4 billion, she is one of the world’s richest women.
Gina Rinehart
Despite a decline of 11% in her net worth since March 2022, Gina Rinehart, the Australian magnate, has maintained her position as the wealthiest person in Australia with a fortune of US$32.2 billion. She is the chairperson of Hancock Prospecting Group, a mining and agriculture company, which she inherited from her father, Lang Hancock, who passed away in 1992.
Falling iron ore prices have been the primary reason for the decline in her wealth. However, despite the drop, she continues to be the richest person in Australia.
MacKenzie Scott
Mackenzie Scott, who received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce settlement from Jeff Bezos in 2019, has seen a significant drop in her net worth this year. In the 2023 Forbes list of wealthiest women, Scott has fallen from fourth place to ninth, with a net worth of $24.4 billion, down from $43.6 billion in 2022.
However, Scott has made a name for herself as one of the most generous philanthropists in the world, having signed the Giving Pledge in 2019.
Iris Fontbona
Fontbona, the richest woman in Latin America, inherited her fortune from her late husband, Andrónico Luksic, who amassed a vast empire in the mining and beverages industries before his death in 2005.
Along with her two sons, she now owns and leads Antofogasta plc, a Chilean mining company that focuses on copper production and has a substantial stake in Quiñenco, a publicly traded holding company with interests in manufacturing, banking, and beverages. She has a net worth of $23.1 billion.
