The 20 richest women in the world, ranked

Alice Walton, Julia Koch, and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers are among the richest women in the world. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The J. Paul Getty Trust; Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images For Institut de l'Audition Billionaires are getting richer — and it's no different for the women. The richest among them are heiresses and own stakes in some of the world's biggest companies. Here is a ranking of the 20 richest women in the world, according to Forbes. Whether they're founders or heiresses to some of the world's biggest companies, most of the world's richest women saw their wealth grow over the past year. The sources of their fortunes span a range of industries, from cosmetics to building supplies, and most of the top 20 hail from the US. This ranking and additional information were compiled from Forbes' World's Billionaires List. It shows a snapshot of wealth from March 1, 2026. Women comprised 14% of the Forbes' World's Billionaires List. Forbes estimates net worth using assets such as stakes in public and private companies, real estate, and other holdings; it also accounts for factors including debt and charitable giving. In some cases, Forbes also counts wealth held by a founder or heir's immediate family, identifying those entries with "& family." "Source" refers to the main source of the individual's wealth. "World rank" refers to each woman's placement on the 2006 World's Billionaires List. With a combined wealth of $886 billion, including that of some immediate family members, here are the 20 richest women in the world: 20. Diane Hendricks — $22.3 billion Diane Hendricks. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Source: Building supplies Country: US World rank: 113 Diane Hendricks, 79, cofounded ABC Supply in 1982 with her husband. After the death of Ken Hendricks in 2007, she has been the chair of ABC Supply and has led the company on its two biggest acquisitions. 19. Christy Walton — $24.3 billion Christy Walton Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Source: Walmart Country: US World rank: 106 Christy Walton, 77, inherited a stake in Walmart after her husband, John Walton, died in 2005. She also inherited about one-sixth of his estate. 18. Gina Rinehart — $25.5 billion Gina Rinehart Quinn Rooney/Getty Images Source: Mining Country: Australia World rank: 101 Gina Rinehart, 72, rebuilt her father's financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, following his death. Since 1992, she has been the executive chair of Hancock, whose biggest asset is an iron ore mining project. 17. Vicky Safra & family — $27.1 billion J. Safra Sarasin, part of the J. Safra Group conglomerate. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images Source: Banking Country: Greece World rank: 94 Vicky Safra, 74, inherited her fortune, along with her children, from her late husband, Joseph Safra. The family's financial empire includes J. Safra Sarasin in Switzerland, Safra National Bank of New York, and Banco Safra in Brazil. 16. MacKenzie Scott — $28.6 billion MacKenzie Scott Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Source: Amazon Country: US World rank: 84 MacKenzie Scott, 56, gained a 4% stake in Amazon following her divorce from founder Jeff Bezos. An author and philanthropist, Scott shares details of her donations on the website Yield Giving. 15. Susanne Klatten — $29.7 billion Susanne Klatten Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images Source: BMW, pharmaceuticals Country: Germany World rank: 79 Susanne Klatten, 64, owns about 19% of BMW, which she inherited from her parents. Klatten is the sole owner and deputy chair of Altana, a global specialty chemicals company. 14. Lyndal Stephens Greth & family — $30 billion Lyndal Stephens Greth Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images Source: Oil and gas Country: US World rank: 77 Lyndal Stephens Greth, 51, became chair of Endeavor Energy Resources after her father, who founded the firm, died. Endeavor, an oil and gas exploration and production company, was acquired by Diamondback in 2024. 13. Melinda French Gates — $30.3 billion Melinda French Gates Bloomberg/Getty Images Source: Microsoft Country: US World rank: 74 Melinda French Gates, 62, is the founder of Pivotal and former cochair of the Gates Foundation. She spent the first decade of her career at Microsoft and is known for her philanthropy. 12. Elaine Marshall & family — $30.9 billion Elaine Marshall owns a stake in Koch Inc. Illustration by Timon Schneider/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Source: Koch Inc. Country: US World rank: 71 Elaine Marshall, 84, and her two sons inherited an estimated 16% stake in Koch Inc. from her late husband. E. Pierce Marshall's father, J. Howard Marshall II was an early partner of Fred Koch. 11. Marilyn Simons & family — $32.5 billion Marilyn Simons Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Friends of IHES Source: Hedge funds Country: US World rank: 66 Marilyn Simons, 75, is the widow of Jim Simons, who founded hedge fund fi