Quick Links

• Rafaela Aponte-Diamant (Mediterranean Shipping Company)

• Savitri Jindal And Family (Jindal Group)

• Jacqueline Mars (Mars)

• Julia Koch And Family (Koch Industries)

• Alice Walton (Walmart)

• Françoise Bettencourt Meyers And Family (L'Oréal)

Highlights

• Despite net worths in the billions, none of the richest women in the world today rank among the top ten richest people.
• Closing the gender gap in labor markets could increase GDP by up to eight percent in emerging markets.
• Women leading in industries like shipping, steel, and cosmetics are creating generational wealth.
• The rise of self-made billionaires like Alice Walton and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is elevating women's wealth globally.

For centuries, the business world has been considered the domain of men; women were seldom acknowledged for their notable efforts.

But now, this is slowly changing – for the better, in some respects – to which a glance at the richest women in the world ought to attest.

After centuries of protests and struggle, women today are, thankfully, living in a society with very different mores than those of the past.

There is still a truly staggering amount of work to do to achieve anything resembling true equality, as Human Rights Watch reminded us last year:

"In multiple countries, [women's] rights have been rolled back in recent years [by the introduction of] anti-feminist rhetoric and policies. According to UN Women, gender disparities are worsening.

"They believe it could take another 286 years to close the global gender gaps in legal protections for women and girls. The global scope and scale of this backlash requires attention and response from governments."

Nevertheless, a sizable majority of the world's population is firm in the belief that women are not second-class citizens, as they were in the past — they are equally proficient in their professions, and are even outpacing their male counterparts in some key metrics.

Women have historically worked hard to prove their mettle and secure their rights, and now, across the globe, countries that have prioritized freedom for women are the most prosperous.

That's not just conjecture — the United Nations' UN Women found that closing the gender gap could boost the global economy by $7 trillion.

The International Money Fund (IMF) had similar findings, and in March, the European Investment Bank (EIB) published a paper, reiterating the global impact of women participating fully in the economy:

"Gender equality and equal rights are not just a matter of equity; they are also of paramount economic importance.

"Research from the International Monetary Fund suggests that narrowing the gender gap in labor markets could increase GDP in emerging markets and developing economies by almost [eight percent].

"The gains from fully closing the gender gap would be even higher, lifting GDP in those countries by 23 [percent] on average."

These findings and scholarly research along similar lines show us why economic parity for women is imperative for any society to prosper.

In the business world, however, the prevalence of men persists; the world's richest woman lags in the fifteenth position among the world's wealthiest people.

But again, this is changing, and brave and intelligent women are making their mark in industry and the workplace.

Today, many women are included on lists of the top 100 richest people, and there is no reason to suspect that women won't keep making progress, and soon break into the top ten.

In the meantime, let's take a peek at the richest women in the world, the sources of their (sometimes generational) wealth, their professions, and how much those powerful women added to their fortunes over the previous year.

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6 Rafaela Aponte-Diamant (Mediterranean Shipping Company)

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant's Net Worth (Real-Time): $34.2 Billion

In terms of marriage and business, this couple is one of the most remarkable success stories in the world.

Together, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant and husband Gianluigi built – and now co-own – 50 percent of the largest container shipping company on Earth.

Aponte-Diamant's massive fortune (both romantically and financially) demonstrates that love can mix well with business —and perhaps even advance one's prosperous prospects.

Rafaela and Gianluigi were married in 1970.

The couple co-founded the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), obtaining a $200,000 loan for their first ship, the Patricia.

When adjusted for inflation, $200,000 in 1970 is worth around $1,652,550 in 2024.

Now, after 54 years, MSC is by far the largest container ship company in terms of fleet space and cargo capacity.

MSC owns a full 20 percent of the entire world’s shipping capacity, and the company Rafaela co-founded employs more than 30,000 people.

At 79 years old, Rafaela Aponte still oversees the designs for the fleet, and she holds a 50 percent stake.

In 2022, MSC generated a mammoth $86.4 billion in revenue, and Aponte’s family took home $36.3 billion in profit.

Thus, MSC is the reason Rafaela is now the sixth-richest woman in the world — and holds the title of the richest self-made woman in the world.

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5 Savitri Jindal And Family (Jindal Group)

Savitri Jindal And Family’s Net Worth (Real-Time): $36.2 Billion

The richest woman in India, Savitri Jindal, is a wise businessperson, and an empathetic politician.

Savitri, the fifth-richest woman, held significant government positions as the Minister of State for Revenue and Disaster Management, Consolidation, Rehabilitation, and Housing, as well as the Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies and Housing.

At 84 years old, Indian business mogul Savitri Jindal is the chairperson of the Jindal group, which is a massive player in steel, power, and infrastructure setup.

At press time, the Jindal family possessed a net worth of $36.2 billion.

Savitri Jindal is the leader of the family and business, due to the tragic and unexpected death of her husband, Om Prakash Jindal, in a 2005 plane crash.

Savitri’s four sons independently oversee the interests of the Jindal Group and are doing quite well, having doubled their net worth in just a year.

Savitri is again leaning towards politics, as she recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is favored to win in the general elections.

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4 Jacqueline Mars (Mars)

Jacqueline Mars' Net Worth (Real-Time): $39.1 Billion

American business empress Jacqueline Mars is the granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, who founded the candy, pet food, and pet care company Mars in 1911.

113 years ago, Frank C. Mars planted a seed, which has grown to become one of the largest money trees in corporate America.

Mars (the business) is now worth more than $120 billion.

Jacqueline Mars owns a third of the company, and is now the fourth-richest woman in the world, with a fortune estimated to stand at $39.1 billion at the time of publication.

Now 84, Jacqueline Mars entered the family business in 1982.

After 20 years of work, she took a permanent hiatus from Mars in 2001, to shift her focus to a non-profit philanthropic endeavor, the Mars Foundation.

In 2019, Forbes declared her the wealthiest resident of the state of Virginia at the time, with a net worth estimated at $28.1 billion.

Her son, Stephen Badger, manages her affairs, and is responsible for the increases in her fortune since the turn of the century.

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3 Julia Koch And Family (Koch Industries)

Julia Koch And Family's Net Worth (Real-Time): $65.3 Billion

Along with her children, American billionaire Julia Margaret Flesher Koch, 62, owns 42 percent of the approximately $125 billion revenue generated by Koch Industries.

The foundation of the politically involved Koch dynasty was laid by Fred C. Koch in 1940.

Initially, the second largest privately held company in the United States, Koch Industries, dealt in innovative crude oil refining processes.

Later, the company acquired myriad subsidiaries for refining, producing, and distributing oils, chemicals, minerals, and fertilizers, further diversifying their industrial interests.

The world's third-richest woman, Julia Koch, is the widow of David Koch, who died in 2019 due to prostate cancer.

She was a renowned fashion designer in her own right before their marriage, with high-profile clients (including former First Lady Nancy Reagan).

In 1991, she met David Koch on a blind date, and after five years of dating, they married in 1996.

Julia, now the twenty-fourth richest person in the world per Forbes, is known for her philanthropic work.

She recently allocated $75 million to the Julia Koch Family Ambulatory Care Center.

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2 Alice Walton (Walmart)

Alice Walton’s Net Worth (Real-Time): $71.1 Billion

Alice Walton, the richest woman in America at the age of 74, dethroned Julia Koch this year — due to a massive 34 percent spike in Walmart’s stock value.

Just one year ago, Alice Walton’s net worth was $56.7 billion.

In the space of a year, due to Walmart’s bustling business, Alice is now sitting on a fortune of $71.1 billion.

Walmart has been the world’s largest revenue-generating company for the past decade.

According to an internal Walmart earnings report, the retail giant generated a staggering $611.3 billion in total revenue in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.

A subsequent earnings report for FY 2023 showed a total revenue of $648.1 billion, up six percent and $36.8 billion over 2022.

The three children of Walmart's late founder Sam Walton – Alice, her brother Rob Walton, and brother Jim Walton – control a more than 50 percent stake in the company,

But Alice, Sam Walton's sole heiress, is not interested in the family business, as she is an art enthusiast.

Currently the world's second-richest woman, Alice Walton founded the Crystal Bridges Museum in 2011, showcasing towering figures of art such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko.

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1 Françoise Bettencourt Meyers And Family (L'Oréal)

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers And Family's Net Worth (Real-Time): $94.7 Billion

French business mogul Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is on track to become the first woman to reach the remarkable goal of accumulating a $100 billion fortune.

Chemist Eugene Schueller founded the beauty and wellness brand L'Oréal in 1909, though he has a complicated and checkered legacy, to say the least.

Now, after 115 years in the industry, his granddaughter Françoise is the richest woman in the world.

The sole heiress of Liliane Bettencourt, the previous richest woman in the world, now owns approximately 35 percent of the company.

In 2023, L'Oréal's total revenue clocked in at a massive $44 billion.

Although Françoise Bettencourt is the richest woman in the world today, she is only fifteenth on the list of the world's richest people.

Bettencourt is now the Vice President of L'Oréal's board of directors.

L'Oréal, a major player in the beauty industry, now owns no fewer than 36 subsidiaries, including multi-billion dollar brands like Garnier, Lancôme, and Maybelline.