The Forbes list of the richest women in the world in 2022, has 327 women who have made their fortune shine with a collective net worth of $1.56 trillion.
Most of these wealthy women (226) have inherited companies founded by their fathers or husbands. Among these, the top three richest women are: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers who inherited L’Oreal, Alice Walton is Walmart heiress and Julia Koch who took over Koch Industries after her husband, David Koch, died in 2019.
According to Forbes, 2022’s richest new woman billionaire is also an heir: Czechia’s Renata Kellnerova. She along with her four children inherited an estimated $16.6 billion after her husband, Petr Kellner, died in a helicopter crash in March 2021. World’s Billionaires List 2022 contains 101 women who are self-made, that is they founded or co-founded a company or established their own fortune. Among those who inherited include roofing supply entrepreneur Diane Hendricks, Gap cofounder Doris Fisher and British online gambling entrepreneur Denise Coates.
Some extraordinary newcomers have been acknowledged by Forbes including Rihanna with her beauty empire elevating her as Barbados’s billionaire, Melanie Perkins, 34, the co-founder of design startup Canva and Melinda Gates who after divorcing her billionaire husband, Bill Gates, who’s count in billionaires is on her own account and one of the most popular philanthropists in history.
The richest female billionaires are in the US, with 90, followed by China (63), Germany (35) and Hong Kong (11).
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
The world’s richest woman, Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of L’Oreal’s founder, a massive French beauty empire. In 2018, she was enlisted in the World’s Billionaire List for the first time, after which Liliane Bettencourt, her mother, passed away who was the then richest woman. Meyers has been holding this position for the second year in a row with a net worth of $74.8 billion.
2. Alice Walton
Alice Walton, with an estimated net worth of $65.3 billion, is the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. With the rising value of Walmart stock last year, her fortune has been growing since. She was the world’s richest woman in 2020, followed by Bettencourt Meyers.
3. Julia Koch
Julia Koch, wife of David Koch a conservative donor and philanthropist. She and her children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries, the second largest private ownership in the U.S, along with David’s older brother, Charles Koch. Her current net worth is estimated at nearly $60 billion.
4. MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott has a net worth of $43.6 billion making her the fourth richest woman in the world with becoming a successful philanthropist after divorcing Jeff Bezos and founder of Amazon. In the last two years, she has donated $12,5 billion to over 1,250 organizations.
5. Jacqueline Mars
With a net worth of $31.7 billion, Mars inherited, a conglomerate behind M&M and brands like IAMS and Pedigree. Nearly one-third of the candy and pet food empire, Mars Incorporated. Mars Incorporated was the brainchild of her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, in 1911.
6. Gina Rinehart
Gina Rinehart has inherited an Australian mining and agriculture company, Hancock Prospecting Group, founded by her father Lang Hancock in 1992. For a long time, she has been involved in a legal battle against her children over the family trust, which is delayed till next year. Her current net worth is estimated at $30.2 billion.
7. Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson, the widow of Republican kingmaker and casino tycoon, Sheldon Adelson, currently owns a 50% stake of her late husband in Las Vegas Sands and has an estimated net worth of $27.5 billion. After her husband’s death, in early 2021, the company sold its assets including the Venetian Resort and the Sands Expo and Convention Center for $62.5 billion to increase the company’s stake in the Asian market.
8. Susanne Klatten
Klatten, with a net worth of $24.3 billion, is the owner of about 19% of the German automaker BMW. She inherited the company from her parents, Herbert and Johanna Quandt, who saved BMW from bankruptcy in 1959. She also owns Altana, a chemical company.
9. Iris Fontbona
The widow of Chilean tycoon Andronico Luksic, who passed away in 2005, Iris along with her family inherited copper mines in Chile through Antofagasta Plc, trading on the London Stock Exchange. They own much of the stakes in Quinenco, a publicly-traded Chilean empire that deals in banking, beer and manufacturing. Her current net worth estimates at $22.8 billion.
10. Abigail Johnson
The CEO of Fidelity Investments, Abigail Johnson has been in the position since 2014 after taking over from her father Ned Johnson III, who died in March. She has an estimated net worth of $21.2 billion and owns a 24.5% stake in the company that has assets worth $4.2 trillion. Her grandfather founded the company in 1946.
