Who Are the Richest Women in the World? Top Billionaires Revealed
Forbes released a list of the richest women in the world. While many people thought so, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott isn't the richest woman in the world.
Dec. 21 2021, Published 11:26 a.m. ET
There has been a shakeup in the world billionaire rankings in 2021. After being the world’s richest person, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos lost out to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Forbes released a list of the richest women in the world. While many people thought so, Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott isn't the richest woman in the world.
While the collective wealth of women billionaires increased in 2021, like their male peers, none of them are on the list of the top 10 wealthiest people globally.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the richest woman in the world.
With a net worth of around $91 billion, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oréal, is the richest woman in the world. She's the chairwoman of the family holding company. She took over L’Oréal when her mother Liliane Bettencourt died in 2017.
Melinda Gates also added to her wealth in 2021 after she divorced Bill Gates.
Alice Walton is the richest woman in America.
Alice Walton, the daughter of Sam Walton, is the richest woman in America. Scott is second on the list followed by Julia Koch. Jacqueline Mars and Miriam Adelson are the fourth and fifth richest women, respectively, in America.
What's MacKenzie Scott's net worth?
Scott received a lot of Amazon stock after her divorce from Bezos. Amazon stock has sagged over the last year and Scott has also been donating money for philanthropic causes.
Scott has signed the Giving Pledge, which was founded by Gates and Warren Buffett. The signatories pledge to donate most of their wealth during their lifetime. Despite giving away billions in charity, Scott has a net worth of around $56 billion.
All of these women made their wealth through inheritance or from their spouses. However, several women are self-made billionaires.
Diane Hendricks leads the list of self-made women billionaires.
Diane Hendricks tops the list of self-made women billionaires. Judy Faulkner, Meg Whitman, Judy Love, and Mariam Ilitch are the other self-made women billionaires in that order. Singer Rihanna, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg are also on the list of self-made women billionaires.
Oprah Winfrey is the richest woman of color.
Oprah Winfrey is the richest woman of color in the world. Folorunsho Alakija, Sheila Johnson, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Serena Williams are among the other women of color with substantial net worth.
India’s Falguni Nair is also on the list of self-made women billionaires.
India’s Falguni Nair, who founded cosmetic and fashion e-commerce company Nykaa in 2012, is also on the list of self-made women billionaires. Nykaa was listed in 2021 in an IPO in India. Nair has a net worth of around $6.5 billion. She became the first Indian woman to take a unicorn public.
Overall, 2021 has been a good year for women entrepreneurs. Several companies founded by women have gone public and capitalized on the booming stock markets. FIGS and Rent the Runway are two women-led companies that went public in 2021. Bumble is also on the list. It's a women-centric dating app.