Forbes recently released a list of the richest female billionaires for the year 2023. And there are quite a few surprises this year.
2022 saw 327 female billionaires make it to the Forbes List, and this year the list has been upped to 337 billionaires.
Here are the top 10 richest women in the world according to the Forbes Richest female billionaire list’2023.
1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family
For the third year in a row, the L’Oréal heiress is the richest woman in the world.
Her net worth amounts to $80.5 billion and a major share goes to a 12% rise in the brand’s stock since last year.
2. Julia Koch & family
At the age of 60, Julia Koch owns 42% of the conglomerate – Koch Industries with her three children.
Her net worth is $59 billion and she oversees the David H. Koch Foundation, (named after her late husband) through which she has made donations worth $1.8 billion to various causes.
3. Alice Walton
After inheriting a stake from her father and co-founder of Walmart, Sam Walton, Alice Walton is the third richest woman in the world.
The 73-year-old’s net worth amounts to $56.7 billion.
4. Jacqueline Mars
Co-owner of the candy and pet food giant Mars Inc. Jacqueline Mars’s net worth is $38.3 billion. She owns an estimated one-third of the company, that was founded by her grandfather. Frank C. Mars.
5. Miriam Adelson & family
Miriam Adelson inherited a stake as the majority shareholder of the world’s largest casino operator- Las Vegas Sands, after her husband’s death in 2021.
The medical doctor’s net worth stands at $35 billion, making her the fifth richest woman in the world.
6. Rafaela Aponte
Co-founder of MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant’s net worth is $31.2 billion.
Rafaela and her husband Gianluigi (co-founder of MSC) were previously listed together in 2023, However, Forbes listed them as individual billionaires as part of a broad overhaul of how Forbes categorized shared wealth.
She is the wealthiest self-made woman on the list this year.
7. Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten owns 19% of the automaker BMW. She is also the owner of Altana, a chemicals company founded by her grandfather.
With a net worth of $27.4 billion, Susanne Klatten is the seventh richest woman in the world.
8. Gina Rinehart
The wealthiest person in Australia, Gina Rinehart’s net worth amounts to $27 billion. Her source of wealth is the Hancock Prospecting Group, which she inherited from her father Lang Hancock in 1992.
9. MacKenzie Scott
American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s net worth is $24.4 billion owing to a 4%stake in Amazon.
She fell five spots to number 9 on the list, due to a significant fortune drop and massive charitable giving of around $14 billion.
10. Iris Fontbona & family
Iris Fontbona together with her two sons owns and chairs the mining company Antofagasta Plc, and holds a crucial stake in one of Chile’s largest business conglomerates- Quiñenco, that does business in manufacturing, banking, and beverages.
She is the wealthiest woman in Latin America.
Wealthiest Women Newcomers
Rohiqa Cyrus Mistry, widow of Cyrus Mistry, with a net worth of $7 billion is the wealthiest woman newcomer in 2023.
Another noteworthy newcomer is Annette Lerner (net worth of $6.5 billion), the widow of real estate developer and Washington Nationals baseball team owner Ted Lerner.
She is followed by Amy Adams Strunk, owner of the Tennessee Titans football team, with a net worth of $1.7 billion.
