The world’s wealthiest women have built fortunes through retail, beauty, shipping, finance, mining, technology and inherited family businesses.
According to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires list as of October 3, 2026, Alice Walton ranks as the world’s richest woman with an estimated fortune of $115.7bn.
She is followed by L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and her family with $90.4bn, while Julia Koch and her family occupy third place with $84.6bn.
1. Alice Walton — $115.7bn
At 76, Alice Walton, the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, tops the ranking with a fortune largely derived from her family’s stake in the retail giant.
Unlike her brothers Rob and Jim, she did not serve on Walmart’s board and instead devoted much of her time to art and philanthropy.
Her most notable cultural project is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which opened in 2011 and features works by artists including Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Mark Rothko.
2. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and family — $90.4bn
At 73, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of L’Oréal founder Eugène Schueller and part of the family that owns more than a third of the publicly traded cosmetics company.
She served on L’Oréal’s board from 1997 until 2025, when her son Jean-Victor Meyers succeeded her as vice chairman, while her other son, Nicolas Meyers, is also a director.
She became the family’s principal heiress in 2017 following the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, at 94.
3. Julia Koch and family — $84.6bn
Julia Koch and her three children inherited a 42 per cent interest in Koch, Inc., formerly Koch Industries, following the death of her husband, David Koch, in 2019.
The 64-year-old’s wealth is now primarily connected to the family’s stake in the privately held conglomerate, which gives them an estimated $84.6bn fortune.
Before her rise to billionaire status, Koch lived in New York and worked as an assistant to fashion designer Adolfo, whose clients included former US First Lady Nancy Reagan.
4. Jacqueline Mars — $50.3bn
Jacqueline Mars, 86, owns an estimated one-third of Mars, the privately held company founded by her grandfather and now involved in confectionery, food and pet care.
She worked for the family business for almost two decades and remained on its board until 2016.
Her estimated $50.3bn fortune is tied largely to the company’s extensive business interests.
5. Iris Fontbona and family — $47.4bn
Iris Fontbona inherited her wealth after the death of her husband, Chilean businessman Andrónico Luksic, in 2005.
Luksic had built a business empire covering mining and beverages before his death, leaving his interests to Fontbona and their three sons.
The family controls Antofagasta Plc, a London-listed company with copper-mining operations in Chile, making mining the principal source of its estimated $47.4bn fortune.
6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant — $46.1bn
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, 81, is the only self-made woman among the top 10 and built her wealth in shipping alongside her husband, Gianluigi.
The couple each own 50 per cent of MSC, which Forbes describes as the world’s largest shipping line.
Their business journey began after they met in Capri in the 1960s, with the couple later purchasing a ship in 1970 using a $200,000 loan.
7. Abigail Johnson — $41.6bn
Abigail Johnson, 64, is chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments, the financial services company founded by her grandfather, Edward C. Johnson II, in 1946.
She became CEO in 2014 after succeeding her father and assumed the chairmanship in 2016.
Johnson owns an estimated 29 per cent of Fidelity, which managed $7.1tn in discretionary assets as of December 2025.
8. Savitri Jindal and family — $38.4bn
Savitri Jindal, 76, chairs the O.P. Jindal Group, whose interests span steel, power, cement and infrastructure.
Her fortune is largely connected to the industrial empire established by her late husband, Om Prakash Jindal, who died in a helicopter crash in 2005.
His business interests were subsequently divided among their four sons, with her son Sajjan Jindal overseeing major companies including JSW Steel, JSW Cement and JSW Paints.
9. Marilyn Simons and family — $36.6bn
Marilyn Simons, 75, inherited her fortune from her late husband, Jim Simons, the mathematician who founded quantitative hedge fund Renaissance Technologies.
Jim Simons died in 2024 at 86, leaving behind a family fortune estimated by Forbes at $36.6bn.
Marilyn Simons holds a PhD in economics from Stony Brook University, where she met her husband, and chairs the Simons Foundation, which has $4.5bn in assets.
10. Melinda French Gates — $34.5bn
Melinda French Gates, 62, founder of Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, rounds out the list with an estimated fortune of $34.5bn, with Microsoft identified as her source of wealth.
She resigned as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2024 after nearly 24 years with the organisation.
Her departure followed her 2021 divorce from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, with Forbes estimating that she received a $25bn settlement.
