It has been a great year for female billionaires. Of the 2,042 richest people in the world, a record 227 of them are women. That up from last year's 202 and an all time record for the wealthiest women in the world. These 227 million have a collective fortune of $852.5 billion and make up 11% of the total list. Nearly all of the 24 wealthiest women in the world inherited their money. Hong Kong's Zhou Qunfei is the only self-made woman on this list.
Don't let that small percentage disappoint you. While only one self-made woman made the top 20, overall the number of self-made women on the list of the world's richest has almost tripled from just 10 years ago. Amongst female billionaires, the self-made women are now one out of every four. The United States has 74 female billionaires while Germany has 28, and China has 23. Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao is her country's first female billionaire. She made her $1.2 billion fortune through VietJet Airlines. Japan's Yoshiko Shinohara made her fortune through her temporary staffing firm. She is Japan's first self-made female billionaire.
L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt is the wealthiest woman in the world for the second year in a row with a net worth of $35 billion. The 94-year-old is the sole heir to L'Oréal, the largest cosmetics company in the world, which was started by her father in 1907. She inherited the company at the age of 35 when her father passed away. She held an active seat on the L'Oréal Board of Directors until 1995. She is also a large shareholder in Nestle. Liliane owns one third of L'Oréal.
The second-richest woman in the world is Walmart heiress Christy Walton with a net worth of $31 billion. The third richest is Christy's sister in law Alice Walton. She has a net worth of $28 billion. Alice is the youngest child and only daughter of Sam and Helen Walton. She is the Walton family's biggest philanthropist, giving more than $2 million to support charter school initiatives 2016.
Familiar names round out the top 10 richest women in the world today. These heiress's fortunes were built on the back of some of the biggest and most loved brands in the world. These include Mars Inc.'s Jaqueline Mars, Nutella widow Maria Franca Fissolo, and Apple widow, Laurene Powell Jobs.
The 24 Richest Women In The World Right Now:
#23. (tie) Yang Huiyan
Net Worth: $5.2 billion
Source: real estate
Country: China
#23. (tie) Pauline MacMillan Keinath
Net Worth: $5.2 billion
Source: Cargill
Country: United States
#22. Zhou Qunfei
Net Worth: $6 billion
Source: smartphone screens
Country: Hong Kong
#21. Sandra Ortega Mera
Net Worth: $6.2 billion
Source: Zara
Country: Spain
#19. (tie) Margaretta Taylor
Net Worth: $8.1 billion
Source: Cox media
Country: United States
#19. (tie) Katharine Rayner
Net Worth: $8.1 billion
Source: Cox media
Country: United States
#18. Blair Parry-Okeden
Net Worth: $8.2 billion
Source: Cox media
Country: United States
#17. Massimiliana Landini Aleotti
Net Worth: $10 billion
Source: pharmaceuticals
Country: Italy
#15. (tie) Carrie Perrodo
Net Worth: $11.7 billion
Source: oil
Country: France
#15. (tie) Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Net Worth: $11.7 billion
Source: Heineken
Country: Netherlands
#14. Abigail Johnson
Net Worth: $12 billion
Source: money management
Country: United States
#13. Gina Rinehart
Net Worth: $12.7 billion
Source: mining
Country: Australia
#12. Johanna Quandt
Net Worth: $12.8 billion
Source: BMW
Country: Germany
#11. Beate Heister
Net Worth: $13.6 billion
Source: Aldi supermarkets
Country: Germany
#10. Iris Fontbana
Net Worth: $13.7 billion
Source: mining
Country: Chile
#9. Susanne Klatten
Net Worth: $16.2 billion
Source: BMW
Country: Germany
#7. (tie) Laurene Powell Jobs
Net Worth: $17 billion
Source: Apple, Disney
Country: United States
#7. (tie) Anne Cox Chambers
Net Worth: $17 billion
Source: Cox Media
Country: United States
#6. Elaine Marshall
Net Worth: $17.1 billion
Source: Koch Industries
Country: United States
#5. Jacqueline Mars
Net Worth: $24.4 billion
Source: Mars
Country: United States
#4. Maria Franca Fissola
Net Worth: $25 billion
Source: Nuttela
Country: Italy
#3. Alice Walton
Net Worth: $28 billion
Source: Walmart, inherited
Country: United States
#2. Christy Walton
Net Worth: $31 billion
Source: Walmart
Country: United States
#1. Liliane Bettencourt
Net Worth: $35 billion
Source: L'Oréal
Country: France
