Top 10 richest women in the world in 2025 and how they made their money
The world’s wealthiest women run outstanding empires. While some are successful businesspersons, others are wealth inheritors who continue to manage their legendary fortunes. Although their numbers have increased, women are still a minority among the world’s wealthiest people. Who are the top 10 richest women in the world in 2025?
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Top 10 richest women in the world
- 10. Marilyn Simons & family - $31 billion
- 9. Miriam Adelson & family - $31.5 billion
- 8. MacKenzie Scott - $32.3 billion
- 7. Savitri Jindal & family - $32.4 billion
- 6. Abigail Johnson - $36 billion
- 5. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant - $39 billion
- 4. Jacqueline Mars - $42.3 billion
- 3. Julia Koch & family - $74.2 billion
- 2. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family - $74.8 billion
- 1. Alice Walton - $112.5 billion
- Is Oprah the richest woman in the world?
- Is Taylor Swift richer than Oprah?
- Who is the richest person in 2025?
- Who is the richest girl in the world under 18?
- Who is the youngest richest woman in the world?
- Who is the richest female in the world?
Key takeaways
- The wealthiest women have acquired wealth through diverse sources, including investments, inheritance, and innovations.
- Most rich women have wealth in multiple industries such as beauty, retail, steel, sports, and philanthropy.
- Alice Walton and Françoise Bettencourt Meyer have ranked among the wealthiest women in the world for years.
Top 10 richest women in the world
According to Forbes and other reliable sources, here are the wealthiest women based on their net worth in 2025. Note that the list may exclude those extremely wealthy whose net worth is unconfirmed in the public domain.
| No. | Name | Net worth |
| 1 | Alice Walton | $112.5 billion |
| 2 | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | $74.8 billion |
| 3 | Julia Koch & family | $74.2 billion |
| 4 | Jacqueline Mars | $42.3 billion |
| 5 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $39 billion |
| 6 | Abigail Johnson | $36 billion |
| 7 | Savitri Jindal & family | $32.4 billion |
| 8 | MacKenzie Scott | $32.3 billion |
| 9 | Miriam Adelson & family | $31.5 billion |
| 10 | Marilyn Simons & family | $31 billion |
Many women have excelled in their crafts and acquired massive wealth, making it to the list of the wealthiest people in the world. However, some have gained their billions of fortune through inheritance. Find out more about the richest women in the world in 2025.
10. Marilyn Simons & family - $31 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 4 January 1951
- Place of birth: United States
- Age: 74 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $31 billion
- Source of wealth: Hedge Funds
Marilyn Simons is one of the wealthiest women on earth. She is the widow of the late hedge fund investor Jim Simons. He died in May 2024 at age 86.
Marilyn chairs the $4.5 billion (assets) Simons Foundation and sits on the Stony Broon Foundation board and the board of Learning Spring Elementary School.
9. Miriam Adelson & family - $31.5 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 10 October 1945
- Place of birth: Mandatory Palestine
- Age: 79 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $31.5 billion
- Source of income: Las Vegas Sands (gaming house)
Miriam Adelson is an Israeli-American physician, businesswoman, and political donor. She is the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the former CEO and chair of Las Vegas Sands, who died in 2021.
In late 2023, Miriam bought a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA team from Mark Cuban. Today, Miriam Adelson's net worth is $31.5 billion.
8. MacKenzie Scott - $32.3 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 7 April 1970
- Place of birth: San Francisco, California, United States
- Age: 54 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $32.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Amazon stake
MacKenzie Scott is a novelist, philanthropist, and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Today, Jeff Bezos' ex-wife's net worth is $32.3 billion.
MacKenzie Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon after parting ways with Jeff Bezos. In May 2019, she signed the Giving Pledge. She promised to give away at least half of her wealth to charity.
7. Savitri Jindal & family - $32.4 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 20 March 1950
- Place of birth: Tinsukia, India
- Age: 74 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $32.4 billion
- Sources of wealth: Steel, power, cement and infrastructure
Savitri Jindal is a businesswoman and politician. She is the chairperson emeritus of the OP Jindal Group. She is also the president of Maharaja Agrasen Medical College in Agroha.
Savitri is the widow of Om Prakash Jindal, who founded OP Jindal Group. Today, she runs the conglomerate with her four sons. Savitri Jindal & family's net worth is $32.4 billion.
6. Abigail Johnson - $36 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 19 December 1961
- Place of birth: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Age: 63 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $36 billion
- Source of wealth: Fidelity Investments
Abigail Johnson takes the sixth spot on the list of the top 100 richest women in the world. She has served as CEO of Fidelity Investments since 2014.
Abigail took over for her father and has been the chair since 2016. Her grandfather, Edward Johnson II, founded Fidelity Investments in 1946. Today, Abigail Johnson's net worth is $36 billion.
5. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant - $39 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 26 March 1945
- Place of birth: Haifa, Israel
- Age: 79 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $39 billion
- Source of wealth: Shipping
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant and her spouse Gianluigi own a 50% stake each in MSC, the world's largest shipping line. The two met on a trip and joined the shipping industry together in 1970.
The couple purchased their first ship with a $200,000 loan. Since then, MSC has grown into the largest shipping line globally. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant's net worth is $39 billion.
4. Jacqueline Mars - $42.3 billion
- Date of birth: 10 October 1939
- Place of birth: United Kingdom
- Age: 85 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $42.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Candy company (Mars Inc.)
Jacqueline Mars is a heiress and investor best known for running Mars Inc., a candy company. She is the daughter of Audrey Ruth and Forrest Mars Sr. and her grandmother was Franklin Clarence Mars.
Her mom and grandparents are the founders of Mars Inc. Jacqueline owns an estimated one-third of Mars. Today, Jacqueline Mars' net worth is $42.3 billion.
3. Julia Koch & family - $74.2 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 12 April 1962
- Place of birth: Des Moines, Iowa, United States
- Age: 62 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $74.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Inheritance (Koch, Inc.)
Julia Koch is a socialite and philanthropist. She inherited massive wealth from her husband, David Koch, who died in 2019. She and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch, Inc.
In June 2024, Koch paid about $700 million for 15% of BSE Global. The firm owns the WNBA's New York Liberty and the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. Julia Koch & family's net worth is $74.2 billion.
2. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family - $74.8 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 10 July 1953
- Place of birth: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
- Age: 71 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $74.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Inheritance (L'Oreal)
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of Eugène Schueller, the founder of L'Oreal. She is the only child and heir of Liliane Bettencourt.
Meyers and her family own more than a third of publicly traded L'Oreal. She has served on L'Oreal's board since 1997 and is chairwoman of the family holding company. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and family's net worth is $74.8 billion.
1. Alice Walton - $112.5 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 7 October 1949
- Place of birth: Newport, Arkansas, United States
- Age: 75 years (as of February 2025)
- Net worth: $112.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Inheritance (Walmart shares)
Alice Walton is a heiress to the fortune of Walmart and the richest woman in the world as of February 2025. She is the daughter of Walmart's founder. Sam Walton. Alice Walton's net worth is $112.5 billion. Unlike her siblings Rob and Jim, Alice does not serve on the Walmart board.
In 2011, Alice opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. She has focused on curating art. The source of income for the richest woman in the world is her Walmart shares.
Is Oprah the richest woman in the world?
Oprah is known as the richest Black woman in the world. She runs a media and business empire. Oprah Winfrey's net worth is $3 billion.
Is Taylor Swift richer than Oprah?
Taylor Swift is the world's richest female musician, but she is not richer than Oprah Winfrey. Taylor Swift's net worth is $1.5 billion, nearly half of Oprah's wealth.
Who is the richest person in 2025?
Elon Musk is the richest person in the world as of February 2025. He is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Elon Musk's net worth is $394.2 billion.
Who is the richest girl in the world under 18?
The richest girls under 18 in the world include Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Valentina Paloma Pinault, Blue Ivy Carter, Stormi Webster, and North West.
Who is the youngest richest woman in the world?
Livia Voigt is arguably the youngest female billionaire. She is among the largest individual shareholders of WEG, the largest manufacturer of electrical motors in Latin America. Livia Voigt's net worth is $1.3 billion.
Who is the richest female in the world?
Alice Walton is the wealthiest woman in the world, with a net worth of $112.5 billion. She is an heir to Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart.
The top 10 richest women in the world have been proactive in wealth creation, with some running multinational businesses valued at billions of dollars. They are leaders in different industries, including mining, cosmetics, and technology.
Legit.ng recently published a list of the richest people in Nigeria. There are numerous millionaires in contemporary Nigeria. Many people are curious about the net worth of the richest people in Nigeria.
The most affluent people in the country have multiple income streams. They have investments in various sectors of the Nigerian economy. Their wealth has made them prominent locally and internationally.
Source: Legit.ng
Mercy Mbuthia (Lifestyle writer) Mercy Mbuthia is a content writer with five years of experience writing on various topics, including biographies, entertainment, and lifestyle. She joined the Legit team in 2019. Mercy earned a Master of Science (Food, Nutrition & Dietetics) from Dedan Kimathi University in 2022. Her articles have appeared on several media sites such as The Health Channel, The Nation, Tekrati, ValiantCEO and Celebrity Leader. In 2023, Mercy finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. Email: mercymmbuthia18@gmail.com
Cyprine Apindi (Lifestyle writer) Cyprine Apindi is a content creator and educator with over six years of experience. She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kenyatta University. Cyprine joined Briefly.co.za in mid-2021, covering multiple topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She received the 2023 Writer of the Year Award. In 2024, she completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: cyprineapindi@gmail.com
