At Luxe Digital, we chase the extraordinary. Our Striking Superlatives series dives headfirst into the world’s rarest, priciest, and most exclusive treasures—spanning art, assets, and empires—and brings you along for the ride. Curiosity, after all, sparks discovery and ignites conversation.
This time, we’re spotlighting the world’s richest women, whose colossal fortunes reshape industries and redefine power. From inherited dynasties to self-forged empires, these women —from philanthropists to innovators—wield wealth as a force for change.
Alice Walton has widened her lead at the top. Walmart stock climbed 30% over the year, adding an estimated $33 billion to her fortune and pushing her further clear of L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who held the title from 2020 until Walton took it in 2025. Two newcomers reshaped the middle of the ranking: Chilean mining widow Iris Fontbona enters at fourth, and Zheng Shuliang becomes the first Chinese woman in the top ten.
Our ranking follows the Forbes World’s Billionaires List published in March 2026. Net worths are estimates that move with the markets, so treat them as a snapshot rather than a ledger.
The world’s wealthiest women in 2026
10. Zheng Shuliang
Zheng Shuliang holds her fortune alongside her family in China Hongqiao Group, one of the largest aluminum producers on earth. Her late husband, Zhang Shiping, founded the business in 1994, and their son Zhang Bo now runs it as chairman and chief executive while Zheng sits as vice chair. The group turns over more than $21 billion a year, and her entry makes her the first Chinese woman to reach this top ten.
| Net Worth | $33.2 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 80 |
| Country | China |
| Industry | Metals & Mining |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, China Hongqiao Group |
| Impact | China Hongqiao employs tens of thousands across its aluminum operations. |
| Interesting Fact | The family’s reach extends into textiles through Weiqiao Textile, chaired by her daughter. |
9. Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson, born in 1961, is the CEO of Fidelity Investments, a Boston-based firm founded by her grandfather. Joining in 1988, she became CEO in 2014, driving innovation with crypto trading and Bitcoin ETFs. A low-profile leader, she serves on boards like SIFMA, shaping the financial industry. Johnson’s strategic vision blends tradition with innovation, solidifying Fidelity’s dominance and establishing her as a pioneer in wealth management and fintech.
| Net Worth | $33.2 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 64 |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Finance, Investments |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Fidelity Investments |
| Impact | Manages trillions in assets for tens of millions of investors. |
| Interesting Fact | First woman to serve on the Financial Services Forum board and lead a major mutual fund firm. |
8. Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson, born in 1945, is a physician and philanthropist who inherited a majority stake in casino company Las Vegas Sands following her husband Sheldon Adelson’s death in 2021. Trained in medicine at Tel Aviv University, she has donated over $1 billion to addiction research. A prominent GOP donor based in the U.S., she also co-owns the American professional basketball team Dallas Mavericks. Adelson leverages her wealth to advance scientific research and shape political landscapes, honoring her husband’s legacy while forging her own.
| Net Worth | $37.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 80 |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Casinos |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Las Vegas Sands |
| Impact | Clinics treat 10,000+ addiction patients yearly. |
| Interesting Fact | Owns a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks. |
7. Savitri Jindal
Savitri Jindal, born in 1950, is chairperson emeritus of the Jindal Group, a leading Indian conglomerate in steel, power, and cement. Her husband, O.P. Jindal, died in a helicopter crash in 2005, and she turned personal tragedy into industrial expansion, with group revenue growing several times over under her chairmanship. Based in India, she served as a minister in Haryana’s government from 2005 until she lost her seat in 2014, then returned to the state assembly as an independent in 2024. Through her foundation, she supports education and healthcare initiatives.
| Net Worth | $39.1 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 75 |
| Country | India |
| Industry | Steel, Infrastructure |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Jindal Group |
| Impact | Jindal Group employs 50,000+ and funds schools and hospitals. |
| Interesting Fact | Won back her Hisar seat as an independent candidate in 2024. |
6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, born in 1945, is a Swiss-Italian entrepreneur who co-founded Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in 1970 with her husband, Gianluigi, using a $200,000 loan. Their meeting on a Capri boat trip sparked a global shipping empire with over 900 vessels. Recognized by Forbes as a Self-Made Woman, she plays a key role in MSC Cruises, overseeing ship designs.
| Net Worth | $44.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 80 |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Industry | Logistics |
| Source of Wealth | Self-made, MSC |
| Impact | MSC handles 7% of global shipping containers, serving 155+ countries. |
| Interesting Fact | Personally decorates MSC Cruises’ luxury liners. |
5. Jacqueline Mars
Jacqueline Mars, born in 1939, is an heiress to Mars, Inc., the family-owned candy and pet food empire behind M&M’s and Snickers. The granddaughter of founder Frank Mars, she joined the company in 1982 and inherited a one-third stake. Based in Virginia, she is a passionate advocate for conservation and equestrian causes, dedicating significant resources to protecting vast U.S. landscapes.
| Net Worth | $49.1 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 86 |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Food & Beverage, Confectionery |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Mars, Inc. |
| Impact | Protects 100,000+ acres of U.S. land through grants. |
| Interesting Fact | Her Virginia horse farm trains Olympic medalists’ mounts. |
4. Iris Fontbona
Iris Fontbona is the wealthiest person in Chile and the highest new entry on this list. She inherited the Luksic fortune when her husband, mining and beverage magnate Andrónico Luksic Abaroa, died in 2005. The family holds its businesses through Quiñenco, whose interests run from the copper miner Antofagasta to Banco de Chile and the brewer CCU. Her son Jean-Paul chairs the mining arm, and a strong run in copper is what lifted her into the top five.
| Net Worth | $52.6 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 83 |
| Country | Chile |
| Industry | Metals & Mining |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Luksic Group |
| Impact | Family holdings span copper mining, banking, brewing and shipping across Latin America. |
| Interesting Fact | Antofagasta is one of the few Latin American miners listed on the London Stock Exchange. |
3. Julia Koch
Julia Koch, born in 1962 in Iowa, is a philanthropist who inherited a 42% stake in Koch, Inc. (formerly Koch Industries), a major private firm in oil, agriculture, and more, following the 2019 death of her husband, industrialist David Koch. Transitioning from a fashion assistant to a prominent steward of the company, she is based in New York and supports cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art while funding medical advancements. Her philanthropy reflects a commitment to cultural and scientific progress.
| Net Worth | $81.2 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 63 |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Industrial |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Koch, Inc. |
| Impact | Donated $75 million to NYU Langone for a Florida medical center. |
| Interesting Fact | Owns 15% stakes in Brooklyn Nets, Liberty, and Barclays Center. |
2. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, born in 1953 in France, is the heiress to L’Oréal, holding a 35% stake in the cosmetics giant behind Maybelline and Lancôme. She inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane, in 2017, and held the title of world’s richest woman from 2020 until Alice Walton overtook her. An author of mythology books, she combines intellectual pursuits with business acumen. Through her foundation, she funds science and arts, while her mother’s life inspired the 2025 Cannes-premiered film The Richest Woman in the World by Thierry Klifa.
| Net Worth | $100 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 72 |
| Country | France |
| Industry | Cosmetics, Retail |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, L’Oréal |
| Impact | Funds 150+ science and art projects annually via Fondation Bettencourt Schueller. |
| Interesting Fact | Donated $226 million to rebuild Notre-Dame after its 2019 fire. First woman to reach $100 billion net worth in 2023. |
1. Alice Walton
Alice Walton, born in 1949 in Arkansas, is the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton and a prominent philanthropist. Inheriting a significant Walmart stake in 1992, she founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2011, showcasing works by artists like Warhol and O’Keeffe. In 2025, she launched the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, advancing equitable healthcare education. Living privately, Walton transforms her retail fortune into cultural enrichment and social impact.
| Net Worth | $134 billion |
|---|---|
| Age | 76 |
| Country | United States |
| Industry | Retail |
| Source of Wealth | Inherited, Walmart |
| Impact | Her museum Crystal Bridges welcomes 600,000 visitors yearly; her medical school promotes equitable healthcare. |
| Interesting Fact | Paid a reported $35 million for Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits in 2005, outbidding the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
Just outside the top ten
Three names sit close enough to move back in on a good year. Melinda French Gates is worth an estimated $30.3 billion, having resigned from the Gates Foundation in 2024 to concentrate on Pivotal, her own investment and advocacy vehicle, and committed $1 billion through 2026 to organizations advancing women’s rights and health. MacKenzie Scott holds roughly $28.6 billion and has given away $26.3 billion since 2019, including $7.1 billion in 2025 alone. Gina Rinehart, at about $25.5 billion, remains Australia’s wealthiest citizen through the iron ore business she inherited from her father in 1992 and rebuilt.
Marilyn Simons, who co-founded the Simons Foundation with her late husband Jim, dropped out of the top ten this year.
The bigger picture
The ten women above are worth more than $600 billion between them, and they command retail, mining, shipping, steel and casinos. Their impact spans museums, hospitals and research foundations, and it shows what wealth at this scale can be pointed at.
Self-made success still lags a long way behind inherited empires. Women account for 481 of the world’s 3,428 billionaires, and only 122 of them built the fortune themselves. Rising names like Canva’s Melanie Perkins suggest a tech-driven future with more women in the ranks, and this gap is what inspired our separate ranking of the world’s richest self-made women under 40.
Celebrity wealth belongs in a different bracket entirely. Oprah Winfrey, who became the first Black woman billionaire in 2003 on the back of her media empire, is worth around $3 billion, with Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé further behind again. Entertainment builds enormous influence, but next to Alice Walton’s $134 billion it does not build this kind of money.
List of richest women in the world (Descending order by Net Worth):
Many of the world’s most successful individuals attribute their start to elite education. See where they might have studied in our guide to the best boarding schools in the world.
- Alice Walton ($134 billion) – United States, Retail
- Françoise Bettencourt Meyers ($100 billion) – France, Cosmetics, Retail
- Julia Koch ($81.2 billion) – United States, Industrial
- Iris Fontbona ($52.6 billion) – Chile, Metals & Mining
- Jacqueline Mars ($49.1 billion) – United States, F&B, Confectionery
- Rafaela Aponte-Diamant ($44.5 billion) – Switzerland, Logistics
- Savitri Jindal ($39.1 billion) – India, Steel, Infrastructure
- Miriam Adelson ($37.5 billion) – United States, Casinos
- Abigail Johnson ($33.2 billion) – United States, Finance
- Zheng Shuliang ($33.2 billion) – China, Metals & Mining
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