Business Insider
Finance

Meet the world's 10 richest women who are jointly worth about $500 billion — almost as much as ExxonMobil

Alice Walton
Alice Walton's net worth is $95 billion. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
Updated
  • The top 10 women on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index are worth over $500 billion combined.
  • Walmart heiress Alice Walton and Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson are both on the list.
  • Take a closer look at the world's richest women.

The world's 10 richest women include the CEO of Fidelity Investments and the heiresses to the L'Oréal, Mars, and Walmart fortunes, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

They've each amassed fortunes of more than $27 billion, and are worth a staggering $508 billion combined at the time of writing — just shy of ExxonMobil's market value of $510 billion.

While four of the 10 women have seen their net worths shrink this year, the group's collective wealth has jumped by an impressive $37 billion.

Check out this list of the 10 wealthiest women on the planet.

1. Alice Walton — $95.1 billion

Alice Walton
Alice Walton is one of the heirs to the Walmart fortune. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images

Alice Walton, 74, inherited her wealth from her father, Walmart founder Sam Walton.

Unlike her brothers Jim and Rob, who've been more directly involved in Walmart's operations, Alice has focused on the arts and charitable activities, including promoting education and conservation.

Her wealth has increased by $25 billion this year as Walmart's share price has risen by 44%. Alice is the highest-ranking woman on Bloomberg's list in 18th place, just behind her brothers.

2. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers — $90 billion

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. Jean-Pierre Muller/AFP via Getty Images

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, with a net worth of $90 billion, ranks 19th on Bloomberg's rich list.

Her grandfather, Eugène Schueller, founded the French cosmetics giant L'Oréal and she inherited a one-third stake from her mother.

Bettencourt Meyers, 71, is known for her intellectual pursuits — even writing books on Greek mythology and Bible commentaries — and her philanthropy. The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation supports scientific research, arts, and humanitarian projects.

3. Julia Flesher Koch — $75.5 billion 

Julia Koch and David Koch attend the opening night celebration of the New York City Ballet at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, on November 25, 2008, in New York City.
Julia Flesher Koch, the widow of the late industrialist David Koch. Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Julia Flesher Koch's father-in-law, Fred Koch, founded industrial behemoth Koch. She married one of Fred's sons, David, and became a billionaire when he died in 2019.

The 62-year-old contributes to causes including education, medical research, and the arts, and also serves on the board of several charities.

4. Jacqueline Badger Mars — $50.3 billion

Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Badger Mars, heiress to the Mars fortune. Aurora Rose/Getty Images

Jacqueline Badger Mars' grandfather founded the candy, pet care, and food conglomerate that bears the family's name. Press-shy and limelight-avoidant, the Mars family remains somewhat mysterious.

The 84-year-old has been on the Mars board of directors, and has also sat on the boards of the National Archives and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Mars and her ex-husband, David Badger, have three children. Their son Stephen has been on the Mars board since 2010.

5. Abigail Johnson — $36.1 billion 

Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson is CEO of Fidelity Investments. Getty Images

Abigail Johnson, 62, is the CEO of Fidelity Investments, one of the world's largest financial firms that was founded by her grandfather. She has a one-third stake in its parent company, FMR, and succeeded her father as CEO in 2014.

Johnson, who holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, is also known for pushing for women's opportunities in the financial world.

6. MacKenzie Scott — $36 billion

MacKenzie Scott head shot
MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Evan Agostini/Associated Press

MacKenzie Scott is the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. When the couple divorced in 2019, she received a settlement worth $38 billion.

Scott, 54, has since donated billions of dollars to a wide range of causes, including racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, public health, and education, and has "revolutionized philanthropy," says the CEO of one charity that received a donation from Scott.

She's also written two novels.

7. Savitri Jindal — $34.1 billion

savitri jindal
Savitri Jindal, the widow of Indian infrastructure titan O.P. Jindal. Mint/Getty Images

Savitri Jindal's family owns the Jindal Group, one of India's largest conglomerates with steel, mining, power, and infrastructure businesses.

The 74-year-old is the widow of the group's founder O.P. Jindal and inherited a significant portion of his wealth when he died in 2005, putting her in 48th spot on the Bloomberg list.

Jindal is also actively involved in politics, having served as a member of the Haryana state's Legislative Assembly.

8. Miriam Adelson — $32.8 billion 

Dr. Miriam Adelson and Sheldon Adelson attend Friends of The Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Western Region Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 1, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Shahar Azran/Getty Images

Miriam Adelson, 78, is the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, and inherited a significant portion of his fortune when he died in 2021.

She cofounded a clinic that specializes in treating substance abuse and has been a prominent supporter of medical research and Jewish causes.

Adelson is also known for her political donations, particularly to conservative and pro-Israel groups, and was awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump in 2018.

9. Iris Fontbona — $30.8 billion 

Iris Fontbona
Iris Fontbona, the widow of Chilean copper billionaire Andrónico Luksic. Flickr

Iris Fontbona, 82, was married to Andrónico Luksic, one of Chile's wealthiest people.

Following his death in 2005, Fontbona inherited his stake in the copper-mining giant Antofagasta, as well as positions in his banks and beverage companies.

10. Susanne Klatten — $27.5 billion

susanne klatten
BMW heiress Susanne Klatten. Michael Probst/AP Images

Susanne Klatten, one of Germany's richest people, owns about 20% of BMW after inheriting stakes in the carmaker from both her father and mother.

She also inherited her father's stake in the pharmaceuticals and chemicals manufacturer Altana.

Klatten, 62, holds various leadership positions in her family's business empire and also donates money through her philanthropic foundation, the SKala Initiative.


Correction: August 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misidentified who founded Koch. The company was founded by Fred Koch, not his son David. The story also misstated Fred Koch's relation to Julia Flesher Koch. He was her father-in-law, not her grandfather-in-law.

Read next

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account