The number of wealthy women worldwide is increasing, and the share of women among billionaires is rising exponentially.
In fact, the share of women among billionaires increased from 8.5 percent in 2011 to 11.9 percent in 2022 and continues to grow.
According to the Financial Times, a good reason for this is that baby boomer males are approaching the end of their lives and are typically leaving their wealth to their female partners – who are often younger.
Women are, therefore, more likely to inherit wealth than men, with figures showing that 25.3 percent of ultra-high net worth (UHNW) women acquired their wealth through inheritance, compared with 4.8 percent of men.
But it’s not just inheritance boosting women’s pockets as the number of successful female entrepreneurs also increases.
When it comes to the top five world’s richest women, the one at top spot and according to Forbes, for the fourth consecutive year, is L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.
French Meyers’ fortune has jumped yet again in the past year, increasing by £14.6bn ($19 billion) and putting her wealth at a whopping £76bn ($99.5 bn).
Her wealth continues to escalate thanks to her and her family’s continued close ties with L’Oréal, which includes a 33 percent stake in it.
The 71-year richest woman in the world is a mum of two children and resides in Paris.
Next on the rich list and the second spot for the wealthiest woman in the world, going to Walmart’s Alice Walton.
Alice is the daughter of Sam Walton, who founded Walmart, an American retail corporation.
Walton previously held the top spot for four years during 2018 and 2020.
The 75-year-old heiress also founded Llama Company, an investment bank, where she was president, chairwoman, and CEO. She has a net worth of £70.7 bn ($92 bn).
The next spot went to Julia Koch & family, which had a net worth of £49.4 bn ($64.3 bn) thanks to inheriting a 42 percent stake in Koch Industries.
The 61-year-old is the widow of David Koch, who slipped from second place to third, with Jacqueline Mars taking the fourth spot with a worth of £29.6 bn ($38.5bn)
The 84-year-old is clearly in a sweet business. The heir to Mars Inc. owns iconic brands such as M&Ms, Snickers, and Ben’s Original.
The fifth spot goes to Mackenzie Scott, who should’ve been at the third spot. However, after recently donating £492 million ($640 million) to over 300 nonprofits, she slips to number five.
The 53-year-old ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, Scott, is the only woman featured in the top 10 wealthiest women due to her divorce, which left her net worth at an impressive £27.3 bn($35.6 bn).
