Wednesday, September 4, 2024
The top 10 richest women in the world
1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family
Net Worth: $99.5 Billion | Age: 70 | Source of Wealth: L’Oréal | Citizenship: France
The granddaughter of the L’Oréal founder and heir to the family fortune is the world’s richest woman for the fourth consecutive year. The majority of her wealth is tied to her nearly 35% stake in cosmetics giant L’Oréal Group, which has $45 billion in revenue and marquee brands like Maybelline, Kiehl’s and Lancôme. Bettencourt Meyers, who inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane Bettencourt (d. 2017) first appeared on Forbes’ billionaires list in 2018 worth $42.2 billion.
2. Alice Walton
Net Worth: $72.3 Billion | Age: 74 | Source of Wealth: Walmart | Citizenship: U.S.
The richest woman in America is $15.6 billion wealthier this year, due to a 34% jump in Walmart’s share price in the last 12 months. The heiress is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992). Unlike her brothers, she never sat on the retailer’s board; instead she focused on art. She’s known for opening the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, featuring works from Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Mark Rothko.
3. Julia Koch & family
Net Worth: $64.3 Billion | Age: 61 | Source of Wealth: Koch Industries | Citizenship: U.S.
The widow of David Koch (d. 2019) slipped from second to third richest woman this year. She and her three children inherited a 42% stake of Koch Industries, which has businesses ranging from oil refining and medical technology to paper towels. She is a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4. Jacqueline Mars
Net Worth: $38.5 Billion | Age: 84 | Source of Wealth: Candy, pet food | Citizenship: U.S.
The Mars Inc. heir owns the candy and pet food giant along with her brother, John Mars, and her late brother Forrest Jr.’s four daughters. The company owns iconic brands, including M&Ms, Snickers, Ben’s Original and Pedigree dog food. It was founded by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, who began selling buttercream candy from his kitchen in 1911. Her son, Stephen Badger, sits on Mars’ board.
5. MacKenzie Scott
Net Worth: $35.6 Billion | Age: 53 | Source of Wealth: Amazon | Citizenship: U.S.
The billionaire philanthropist got 4% of Amazon following her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos and she pledged to give away most of her wealth soon afterward. In March, Scott awarded $640 million to 361 organizations that had applied in a competition for funding. Her lifetime giving has climbed to a total of $17.3 billion, made up of a collection of smaller, no-strings-attached donations that often come as a surprise to recipients.
6. Savitri Jinal & family
Net worth: $33.5 Billion | Age: 74 | Source of Wealth: Steel | Citizenship: India
The chair of Jindal Group and widow of the founder, Om Prakash Jindal (d. 2005), is the richest woman in India. Jindal Group is active in steel, power, cement and infrastructure. Following O.P. Jindal’s death in a helicopter crash, the group’s companies were divided among his four sons, who now run them independently. Jindal was the 12th richest woman in 2023; rising share prices lifted her fortune.
7. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Net Worth: $33.1 Billion | Age: 79 | Source of Wealth: Shipping | Citizenship: Switzerland and Italy
Aponte-Diamant and her husband Gianluigi Aponte, cofounders of MSC, each own a 50% stake in the company they started in 1970, which has since become the world’s largest shipping line. She is responsible for decorating the ships for the company’s MSC Cruises. She and her husband entered the industry using a $200,000 loan to buy a ship.
8. Miriam Adelson & family
Net Worth: $32 Billion | Age: 78 | Source of Wealth: Casinos | Citizenship: U.S.
Adelson and her family own more than half of Las Vegas Sands, one of the world's largest casino operators. She inherited the stake after her husband, longtime Republican Party kingmaker Sheldon Adelson died in 2021.A physician, she has given over $1 billion over her lifetime to fund medical research and drug discovery, according to Forbes estimates.
9. Gina Rinehart
Net Worth: $30.8 Billion | Age: 70 | Source of Wealth: Mining | Citizenship: Australia
The Australian magnate chairs mining and agriculture company Hancock Prospecting Group. She inherited the business from her father Lang Hancock (d. 1992). Her fortune is up 14% since March 2023, and she remains the wealthiest person in Australia.
10. Abigail Johnson
Net Worth: $29 Billion | Age: 62 | Source of Wealth: Fidelity Investments | Citizenship: U.S.
The chief of mutual fund giant Fidelity rebounded from 11th place to rejoin the top 10 richest women this year. Johnson has been CEO of Fidelity Investments since 2014 after taking over for her father, Edward “Ned” Johnson III (d. 2022). She owns an estimated 28.5% stake in the firm, which has $4.9 trillion in managed assets and was founded by her grandfather in 1946.
Top 10 richest people in the world
1. Elon Musk
Residence: Boca Chica, Texas
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $243.7
Elon Musk is now the richest person and man in the world. He is the CEO of several prominent companies, including electric car manufacturer Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX. He currently possesses a 13 percent stake in Tesla. A significant portion of his wealth, around two-thirds, is tied to the success of Tesla. Musk made headlines in October 2022 when he purchased Twitter for $44 billion.
Musk, the world's richest person, led Tesla to its initial public offering in 2010. The company experienced significant growth in market capitalisation during 2020 and 2021, propelling Musk to the position of the world's top 10 richest people in September 2021. At its peak in November 2021, Musk's fortune reached an astounding $320 billion.
2. Jeff Bezos
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $197.0
Jeff Bezos, the second richest person in the world, decided to give up his role as CEO of the ecommerce powerhouse Amazon in July 2021, while still maintaining his position as chairman. During the same month, he embarked on a space voyage aboard a rocket developed by Blue Origin, a private space exploration company he established and generously funded with billions of dollars.
3. Bernard Arnault & Family
Residence: Paris
Citizenship: France
Net worth (in $ Billions): $189.4
Bernard Arnault, the third richest person in the world, is the CEO and chairman at Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world's largest luxury goods company encompassing 75 renowned fashion and cosmetics brands. Notable names within its portfolio include Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Sephora. In January 2021, LVMH completed the acquisition of jeweller Tiffany & Co. for a staggering $15.8 billion.
Arnault's five children contribute to various sectors within the expansive LVMH empire. In January 2023, he appointed his daughter Delphine to lead Dior, the group's second-largest brand.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $180.5
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, started its flagship social media platform Facebook in 2004 when he was only 19. He was a computer science and psychology student at Harvard University. Facebook was created to match the names of students on campus with their photos. In 2006, Facebook opened to everyone at least 13 years old with a valid email address.
In May 2012, Zuckerberg took the company public, and by December 2016, he was ranked 10th on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People. Currently, Zuckerberg owns about 13.68 percent of stake in Meta Platforms.
The 39-year-old techie is married to Priscilla Chan and is a father of three daughters. Together with his wife, he is spending $3 billion in an attempt to end, cure or manage all diseases by the year 2100.
5. Larry Ellison
Residence: Manalapan, Florida
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $174.7
Larry Ellison co-founded the software firm Oracle in 1977 and held the position of its CEO until 2014. Currently, he assumes the company's executive chairman and Chief Technology Officer roles. In 2012, Ellison made headlines when he acquired the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a sum of $300 million. Ellison also ventured into investments at Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Quark Biotechnology Inc. and Astex Pharmaceuticals.
6. Warren Buffett
Residence: Omaha, Nebraska
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $149.9
Warren Buffett, widely recognised as the "Oracle of Omaha," is one of history's most accomplished investors. He is the head of Berkshire Hathaway, an investment conglomerate with a diverse portfolio encompassing numerous companies,insurance provider Geico, battery manufacturer Duracell, Apple, Nu Holdings and restaurant chain Dairy Queen.
In 2010, Buffett and Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates established the Giving Pledge initiative, which urges billionaires to donate at least 50 percent of their wealth to charitable organisations. Demonstrating his unwavering philanthropic commitment, Buffett has expressed his intention to donate 99 percent of his fortune.
7. Bill Gates
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $137.9
In 1987, Forbes first recognised Gates as a billionaire. From 1995 to 2017, he maintained the title of the world's richest person, with brief exceptions in 2008 and from 2010 to 2013. In 2021, Gates and Melinda French Gates finalised their divorce, with Melinda receiving at least $6 billion in stocks as part of the settlement. After running Microsoft for 25 years, Gates turned his attention to philanthropic ventures. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began working in India in 2003, and with its Avahan initiative for HIV prevention, it is estimated to have prevented 6,00,000 new infections.
8. Larry Page
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $136.1
Larry Page and his fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin co-founded Google in 1998. Initially, Page held the position of CEO until 2001 and later resumed the role from 2011 to 2015.
He remains a member of the board of Alphabet, Google's parent company, and retains significant control over the company as a major shareholder. Additionally, Page played a vital role as a founding investor in Planetary Resources, a company that is planning to mine resources from asteroids and other planetary bodies.
9. Sergey Brin
Residence: Los Altos, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $130.4
Alongside his Stanford PhD colleague, Larry Page, Sergey Brin played a pivotal role in establishing the Google search engine in 1998. Originally from Russia, Brin initially held the position of technology president at Google and later transitioned to overseeing special projects, including the development of Google Glass, a wearable device featuring voice-activated "smart glasses." Currently, Brin serves as a board member of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, while retaining a significant controlling stake in the company.
10. Steve Ballmer
Residence: Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $122.5
Steve Ballmer, a Harvard University classmate of Bill Gates, assumed the CEO role at Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. His journey with Microsoft began in 1980 when he joined as the company's 30th employee, having dropped out of the MBA at Stanford University.
In the same year that Ballmer retired from Microsoft, he made headlines by acquiring the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for a staggering $2 billion, setting a new benchmark for the highest price paid for an NBA team at that time.