Walmart heiress Alice Walton has secured her position as the world's richest woman for the second year running, according to the latest Forbes World's Billionaires ranking released Tuesday.
The 134-billion-dollar fortune of Walton demonstrates her continued dominance among female billionaires globally. She first claimed the top spot in September 2024, dethroning longtime titleholder Françoise Bettencourt Meyers of L'Oréal fame.
Following Walton in second place is French L'Oréal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, whose fortune stands at an impressive $100 billion. Julia Koch, widow of the late industrialist David Koch, secured third position with $81.2 billion.
Chilean mining and beverage heiress Iris Fontbona climbed to fourth place with $52.6 billion, surpassing Candy and pet food heiress Jacqueline Mars ($49.1 billion), who dropped to fifth. Fontbona's rise is particularly noteworthy as she was previously outside the top 10.
Out of 3,428 billionaires listed worldwide this year, 481 are women, representing 14 per cent of the list. This marks an increase from 406 women (13.4 per cent) in the previous year.
Among the top 10 richest women, the only self-made billionaire is Swiss shipping magnate Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, valued at $44.5 billion. She dropped from fifth to sixth place overall. Across the entire list, just 122 of the 481 female billionaires built their own fortunes, up slightly from 113 last year. The next richest self-made woman is American roofing magnate Diane Hendricks at $22.3 billion.
Global music superstar Beyoncé made her billionaire debut this year with a net worth of $1 billion, joining fellow music icons on the prestigious list.
Other notable self-made women include Rihanna ($1 billion), Spanx founder Sara Blakely ($1.4 billion), and Taylor Swift, whose fortune has grown to an estimated $2 billion.
A remarkable newcomer is Luana Lopes Lara, a former ballerina from Brazil who co-founded the prediction market firm Kalshi. At just 29 years old, she becomes the world's youngest self-made female billionaire, taking the title from 31-year-old Scale AI co-founder Lucy Guo ($1.4 billion).
Melinda French Gates ($30.3 billion) and Marilyn Simons ($32.5 billion) dropped out of the top 10, replaced by Iris Fontbona and Zheng Shuliang ($33.2 billion), vice chair of a Chinese aluminum company founded by her late husband.
The Forbes list reflects both the enduring power of inherited wealth and the growing number of women creating their own fortunes through entrepreneurship and innovation across diverse industries.
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