Who rules the world? Girls! So it is not surprising that many of them have made their fortunes in various industries, finding their place among the richest people in the world. Here are the 15 richest women in the world in 2022.
These women billionaires are among the richest people on our planet. Let’s get inspired and motivated by reading about the life paths of these influential women in our society!
The richest women in the world
Here is a list of the 15 richest women in the world. Although some have inherited their fortune, they have reached this place due to their knowledge, experience and achievements.
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Françoise Bettencourt-Myers is currently the richest woman in the world with a net worth of $77.8 billion. She inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, heiress to the L’Oreal fortune. Liliane was one of the richest women in the world, and Françoise continued her legacy as the next queen of cosmetics.
The Betancourt Meyers family owns a 33% stake in L’Oreal, making them the company’s largest shareholders. Françoise is also a major shareholder in Nestle and has a stake in Dassault Aviation. In addition, she is a prominent philanthropist and has donated billions of dollars to various causes.
2. Alice Walton
Alice Walton is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. Her brother, Samuel Robson “Rob” Walton, has been chairman since 1988 and CEO since 1992. Her other brother James “Bud” Walton died in 2005.
Alice’s wealth for 2022 was estimated at $64.3 billion, making her the second richest woman in the world.
Walton is chair of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which her father helped found. The museum’s collection includes Asher B. Duran, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, and Edward Hopper. Walton also leads the family’s philanthropic arm, the Walton Family Foundation, which has donated over $2.5 billion to charity.
3. Mackenzie Scott
Mackenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, is third on our list. On April 7, 1972, she was born in San Francisco, California. Scott is an American writer, businessman, and philanthropist, and the founder and CEO of Bystander Revolution, a social network that promotes courtesy online.
Mackenzie met Jeff Bezos when they were both students at Princeton University. They married in 1993 and had four children. McKenzie stepped down as hedge fund manager when Jeff founded Amazon.com in 1994. McKenzie is credited with helping to create the culture of customer obsession that is at the heart of Amazon’s success.
Scott’s net worth is $62.7 billion and she made her money through various business ventures and divorce proceedings with Amazon giant Jeff Bezos. Scott is a well-known figure in the business world and has been featured in several publications, including Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines.
4. Yulia Kokh
Julia Koch is a businesswoman with an estimated net worth of $52.1 billion. She made her fortune in the oil and gas industry by founding her own company in 1980. The company grew, and soon Koch became one of the richest women in America.
Today, she remains active in the business world, serving on the board of directors of several large companies. Her family business, Koch Industries, is one of the most influential in the world.
Koch is also a philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to charities and causes she believes in. In addition, she is an active advocate for women’s rights and has funded many programs that help empower women around the world. Koch is an interesting and inspiring woman and her story is sure to inspire others to make their dreams come true.
5. Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars is the heiress to Mars’ candy fortune. She and her brothers, Forrest Jr. and John, inherited the company from their father in 1999. Jacqueline’s fortune as of 2022 is $31.3 billion, making her the fifth richest woman in the world.
Jacqueline and her brothers went on to develop the Mars confectionery company, making it one of the largest food companies in the world.
The Mars Candy Company makes some of the most popular chocolate bars in the world, including Snickers, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers. The company has also expanded into pet food with brands such as Pedigree and Whiskas.
6. Gina Rinehart
Gina Rinehart is an Australian businesswoman who inherited her family’s mining company and has since grown it into a major player in the industry. Her fortune is estimated at 31 billion dollars.
Rinehart was born into a wealthy family. Her father was a successful mining magnate. Rinehart is known for her tough business tactics and unwillingness to compromise in achieving her goals. She has been involved in numerous lawsuits, most notably in a protracted battle with her children over control of the family fortune.
Rinehart is also known for her charitable work, despite her reputation as a ruthless businesswoman. She has made significant donations to cancer research and other causes.
7. Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson is a billionaire businesswoman and the wife of Sheldon Adelson, founder, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation. She played a significant role in the development and growth of her husband’s business interests.
Miriam was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1933. She attended a Jewish high school and then a teacher training college. In 1957, she met Sheldon Adelson. They got married and moved to Las Vegas where Sheldon set up a computer show.
She is also involved in many charitable causes through the Adelson Foundation. Her net worth is estimated at $28.5 billion making her the seventh richest person on this list.
8. Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten is a businesswoman and the richest woman in Germany. Klatten owns a 50% stake in BMW, as well as major pharmaceutical, energy and real estate businesses.
Born into a wealthy family, Klatten inherited her family’s fortune after her parents’ death. Despite this, she is a self-made billionaire thanks to her shrewd business skills that have turned her into one of the most successful women in the world. Klatten’s fortune is estimated at 24.5 billion dollars.
9. Iris Fontebona
Iris Fontbona is a Chilean businesswoman and philanthropist. The third richest person in Chile and the second richest woman in Latin America, she is worth an estimated $22.1 billion.
Iris Fontbona made money from the family copper mining company Compania Minera Los Pelambres SA, which her late husband Andrés acquired in 1979. After his death in 2005, she took over as CEO and Chairman of the Board.
In addition to his business ventures, Fontbona is also a well-known philanthropist who founded the Iris Fontbona Foundation in 2006. A renowned art collector, her collection includes works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall.
10 Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson is the CEO of Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest investment companies. With a net worth of $20.6 billion, she is one of the richest people in the world.
Abigail inherited her fortune from her father, who founded Fidelity in 1946. Through Abigail’s leadership, Fidelity has grown into a global powerhouse with over $2 trillion in assets under management (AUM). She has been instrumental in developing innovative investment products and services that have made Fidelity one of the most successful investment firms in the world.
11. Yang Huiyan
Yang Huiyan is the youngest billionaire in the world. At 21, she inherited Country Garden Holdings, a real estate company that her father, Yang Guoqiang, founded in 1995. Since then, the company has become one of the largest real estate developers in China.
Yang Huiyan’s net worth is estimated at $19.9 billion, making her the richest person in China.
12. Fang Hongwei
Another Chinese woman on the list of billionaires is Fan Hongwei. She is the CEO of Hengli Petrochemical Company, one of the largest petrochemical manufacturers in China. Fan made her fortune through her company, which she founded in 1997 and has since grown into a huge conglomerate with over 20,000 employees.
All in all, Hongwei is an incredibly successful and influential businesswoman. Her net worth is estimated at $17.9 billion, making her one of the richest women in the country. She is also a renowned and dedicated philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to charity. In 2017, she even pledged to donate $1 billion over the next ten years.
13. Wu Yajun
Wu Yajun made her fortune in real estate. Her story has gone from rags to riches, starting as a factory worker and then founding Longfor Properties, one of China’s largest property development companies.
She completed an internship at the Shanghai Construction Engineering Group (SEG), where she was promoted to a manager in 1992. Yajun left SEG in 1998 to found Longfor Properties, where she is now CEO. Wu is recognized as one of the most influential female entrepreneurs in her country and is worth an estimated $15.4 billion.
14. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is a Dutch businesswoman who has been on the Forbes list of billionaires since 1987.
After her father, Freddie Heineken, founder of the brewing company Heineken International, died in 2002, De Carvalho-Heineken inherited a third of the company. She is also a major shareholder in Scottish & Newcastle, a British brewing company that Heineken International acquired in 2008.
In 2010, she was considered the richest person in the Netherlands with a net worth of $6.5 billion. In 2011, she lost her title of the richest Dutchman to Marcel van Poke, but regained it. Now, with a net worth of $15.2 billion, she is the richest woman in Europe and one of the richest people in the world.
15. Zhong Huijuan
Zhong Huijuan earned money from various businesses, including real estate, pharmaceuticals, and energy. She was born in 1958 in Jiangsu Province, China and started her own business in the early 1990s, quickly becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in China. Her fortune is estimated at 8.4 billion dollars.
Zhong Huijuan is also a renowned philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to charity. She is the founder of the Zhong Huijuan Foundation, a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural people in China.
To sum up – the richest women in the world
You don’t have to be a man to own a billion dollar company or be a successful tycoon. Gone are the days when men ruled the world as the richest sex. Nowadays, women have left their mark, increasingly entering the circle of today’s global billionaires.
However, these women’s accomplishments mean more than just numbers or inclusion on the rich list. This shows that women can and do contribute to our society. Their victories also serve as an inspiration to other women who create their own success stories every day.
This list symbolizes the growth and ability of all women in the world. And that regardless of gender, today anyone can succeed in the world.
This post originally appeared on Savoteur.