Top 10 Richest Women
Published on September 26, 2007 - 74 Comments
We all know who the richest men in the world are, but we seldom hear about the richest women. So, it is time to put that right! This is a list of the ten richest women in the world.
1. Liliane Bettencourt Wikipedia
At the age of 83, Liliane Bettencourt is the wealthiest woman in the world and is the 12th richest person overall. She has a net worth estimated at $20.7 billion made possible through the family business, a little company called L’Oreal. She is the daughter of L’Oreal founder Eugene Schueller and holds a controlling stake in the cosmetics giant so is likely to make even more money in the future.
2. Christy Walton Wikipedia
Christy Walton, 51, is the widow of John Walton, the Wal-Mart heir who died in an aircraft accident in June 2005. She inherited $15.9 billion (£8.4 billion) from the company originally founded by Sam Walton, making her the wealthiest woman in the United States. Wal-Mart is still the world’s largest retailer with more than 5,100 stores serving 138 million customers a week and ringing up sales of $285 billion (£151 billion). All of which makes Christy the 24th richest person in the world.
3. Alice Walton Wikipedia
As one would expect, the Waltons have deep family ties. Alice, 56, is the sister of the late John Walton and her fortune of $16.6 billion puts her at number 26 in the world’s rich list. Her brother Rob serves as chairman and the company donates a small fortune to charity through the Walton Family Foundation.
4. Abigail Johnson Wikipedia
As the 42nd richest person in the world, Abigail Johnson’s $13 billion inheritance comes from Fidelity Investments, America’s largest mutual fund company. The firm was founded by her grandfather Edward C. Johnson in 1946. Abigail, 45, interned at Fidelity while pursuing a Harvard MBA and returned full-time in1988. She became president of the company’s mutual fund division in 2001, and picked up $31 billion (£16.4 billion) in fund assets during her first six months. In May 2006 she took over Fidelity’s employer services division, administering payroll and employee stock plans.
5. Anne Cox Chambers Wikipedia
Anne, 86, inherited $12.6 billion (£6.6 billion) from the family media firm Cox Enterprises. Her father James Cox’s empire includes 17 newspapers, 15 TV stations, 79 radio stations and also cable systems. The business also runs to cars, including Manheim Auctions, America’s leading used-car auction business and majority ownership of AutoTrader.com, the world’s largest online auto classifieds site. Last year the family took cable arm Cox Communications private in an $8 billion (£4.2 billion) deal. She is the world’s 45th richest person.
6. Birgit Rausing Wikipedia
Dr Birgit Rausing is a Swedish art historian. Together with her three children, she inherited packaging giant Tetra Laval in January 2000 after her husband Gad Rausing’s death. As of 2007, her net worth is about $11 billion.
7. Jacqueline Mars Wikipedia
Jacqueline Badger Mars is the daughter of Forrest Edward Mars, Sr., and granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, founders of the giant American candy company Mars, Incorporated. With her share of the company, she is worth US$14.0 billion as of September 2007 she is the 58th richest person in the world, and the 19th richest person in the United States according to Forbes, she’s also the fourth richest American woman.
8. Susanne Klatten Wikipedia
Ms. Klatten, 43, picked up $8.1 billion (£4.3 billion) via a 12.5% stake in BMW cars and a 50.1% stake in pharmaceutical manufacturer Altana from her late father, Herbert Quandt. A trained economist with an MBA, Klatten is credited with helping transform Altana into a world-class pharmaceutical/chemical corporation with $3.6 billion (£1.9 billion) in sales and almost 11,000 employees. As of 2007, her net worth is $9.6 billion.
9. Yang Huiyan Wikipedia
Yang Huiyan is the majority shareholder of Country Garden Holdings and is currently considered the wealthiest person in Mainland China, with a net worth of about $9 billion USD as of April 2007. She is the daughter of Yang Guoqiang, who transferred 70% of Country Garden’s shares to her before its IPO.
10. Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler Wikipedia
Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler is joint owner with her son Georg of The Schaeffler Group, one of the world’s largest producers of roller bearings. Maria Elizabeth runs the company, which brought in about $11 billion last year. Her net worth in 2007 is $8.7 billion.
Contributor: nartjai
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1. Andre du Plessis - September 26th, 2007 at 3:48 am
Wow their all so beautiful ! These lovely ladies can contact me at …
2. RobS - September 26th, 2007 at 4:58 am
Yes.
If any of these err… babes… are looking for a low maintenace husband, I can be contacted at…
3. Leo - September 26th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Isn’t Oprah supposed to be the richest woman in America?
4. jfrater - September 26th, 2007 at 5:55 am
Leo: she is probably the richest female entertainer.
5. Walmart sucks - September 26th, 2007 at 7:23 am
I work inside the Wal-Mart Home Office and struggle to make ends meat just like thousands of their other associates. I’m glad those ladies have it made. Ain’t it grand?
6. jfrater - September 26th, 2007 at 7:31 am
Walmart sucks: such is the lot for the majority of us, alas!
7. zubair - September 26th, 2007 at 7:50 am
have you noticed that they are really old and none of them actually are self made..mostly inherited or partners with someone
8. Juggz - September 26th, 2007 at 7:55 am
is it just me or does this list consist of inhereted wealth for the most part?
9. jfrater - September 26th, 2007 at 8:00 am
zubair, Juggz: yep - lucky for them I guess
10. JT - September 26th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Aren’t there some female monarchs who could sneak their way onto this list?
11. David H - September 26th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Oprah Winfrey is worth “only” (heh, only) $2.5 billion, making her the richest
I’d imagine she’s probably the richest self-made woman.
She actually had to lift a finger for her money.
No wait, I forgot, these ladies probably had to sign some checks here and there…
[Edited by the omnipresent jfrater]
12. Hannah - September 26th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
David H, do you mean $2.5.BILLION? I’m assuming so…
13. David H - September 26th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Oops, yep, typo.
Thanks for pointing it out (too late to change it though).
14. Mathilda - September 26th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
How depressing. We are now in the 21st century and all of the top ten richest women inherited their money. (I do realize that most of the richest men also inherited their money as well.
Here’s a quiz for you all - who said “Why should men leave great fortunes to their children?”…”great sums bequeathed often work more for the injury than the good of the recipients”…”It is not the welfare of the children, but family pride, which inspires these legacies.” Give up?
Andrew Carnegie, self-made man and founder of what became US Steel, who gave away the equivalent of 4.3 billion dollars, including for Carnegie Libraries and Carnegie Institute of Technology (now part of Carnegie Mellon University).
Of course, the Walton Family Foundation did give away $158 million in 2005 (latest year on their site). Let’s see, that’s almost 1 percent of the inheritance of either Christy Walton or Alice Walton. For some reason, I’m not particularly impressed with the fact that they are not even donating all of the interest that their inherited fortunes are making to charity. Anyone want to talk about estate taxes?
15. chadster - September 26th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
To bad only one or two of them actually made their own money. Personally i would love to inherit billions of dollars. But hey that’s just me.
16. Fe - September 26th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I’d be a lot more impressed by this list if any of them were self-made or even if they had had a hand in amassing their fortune. It would be nice to inherit a tidy bundle, but that’s just a fluke of birth, not evidence of any special ability or favor.
I don’t even like Oprah, but I’m impressed by what she had done.
17. David H - September 26th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I’d have to agree with you, Fe.
I am no fan of Oprah either, but what she has done with the background she has is phenomenal.
18. jfrater - September 26th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Mathilda: and you know they only donate the money for a tax break! It isn’t true charity.
19. anyomonous (i am a girl) - December 4th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Did I spell my username right? I am only 10, so I dont know how to spell it. Well, back to the topic. Umm… I think these women are crazy. How did they earn that much?!? Anne Cox Chambers, for example. She is so rich, she can buy around 3 mansions, I bet!
20. sheikh shah suree - December 17th, 2007 at 7:19 am
y u lie? my daughter richest in universe. my daughter princess omagochi silveri is worth $55billion dollars, & she is self made, from selling teabags & sugar on the streets of dubai in 1992. trust me, she can buy a country if she please. all she need is jiggy-jiggy, so bring your sons to dubai & lets marry quiet, do dancing, little mushu & then jiggy-jiggy. come quick!
21. lubwama - December 21st, 2007 at 5:46 pm
thanks very much for working hard
22. british(china) - January 5th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
i wounder what this women will use all this money for.Am happy for them,but…..hhhhh,they are not selfmade.
23. Vtluvkiss - January 11th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Well Zhang Yin, 49, is one of china’s richest self made woman!!!!!!!! she owns the 9 dragon recycling company. Her story is truly amazing, so much determination and now she has made it!!!
24. jessica - January 13th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
actually, oprah winfry is the richest women, just so you know ;]
25. fishing4monkeys - January 18th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Wow I expected oprah to be on there lol
I’ve always heard she’s the richest woman in the world but that’s obviously an urban legend…
26. fishing4monkeys - January 18th, 2008 at 4:16 am
@ jessica:
$800 million is Oprahs net worth…WAY below even the lowest person on this list…
27. paulina schiaretti - January 30th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
what happened to oprah is it because she is black?
when will people be looked at as a person not becasuse the are brown whit black green???
28. jfrater - January 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
paulina schiaretti: did you read the comment directly above yours? Oprah does not have enough money to be anywhere near this list. I take great offence that you presume I have left her off because she is black. Oprah is worth 800 million - the poorest woman on this list is worth 8 billion.
29. people never cease to amaze me - January 30th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Yeah…Oprah was not listed b/c she is black….it had nothing to do with the fact that her net worth is 1.4 billion according to Forbes.com. What was the lowest net worth for the TOP 10 women listed…oh, 8.7 billion. Do you have any idea which is greater?? Before you make stupid comments and turn something into a racial matter, do some research. Oprah is an amazing lady and the list was derived from factual information. I am sure she would have made the TOP 10 list if her net worth was over 8.7 billion. However, it is not!!
30. ushapatrick - January 30th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
i agree with all the richest women but they have inherited wealth from the past but oprah came from a poor family and suffered a lot for this position which she is now and she is having helping nature alsoand sometime i think i must meet oprah in her studio but i cannot afford to do that bcoz i am a poor lady but anyway if she is not in the list also, i like people to respect for her growth
31. Jawad - January 31st, 2008 at 12:21 am
none of them are self made billionares…
32. BrokeNPo - January 31st, 2008 at 5:30 am
The key word in most of these financial fantasies is ‘inherited.’
33. jena.slosberg@gmail.com - January 31st, 2008 at 7:14 am
Check out # 4!!
34. Martha a southern girl - January 31st, 2008 at 7:24 am
I see that Abigail Johnson has done a great job of making her company become a success . Working all of her life to improve it, with dedication and all of her self worth. She is a shining example of a worthy list resider.
35. Confucius - February 2nd, 2008 at 2:26 am
Inheriting wealth does not make a person rich. Earning the actual wealth from ground zero is what makes the person rich, so says Confucius
36. watchamacallit - February 5th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
i wonder if they are happy with their lives???
37. Truman Keesey - February 6th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Why is it an issue of complaint whether somebody receives an inheritance or not?
And working for the mass media is not a legitimate way of earning a living, for they are run by the enemy. It is actually a form of treason.
38. Truman Keesey - February 6th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I know the answer but wanted you to confess the truth: when we are jealous we should be criticizin ourself for bein jealous; not criticizin the one that we are jealous OF.
39. mak - February 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
$$ cannot buy love,happiness,or stop the ravages of time. Nice to have, but character is timeless.
40. reileen dela cruz - February 19th, 2008 at 6:35 am
wooooohhhhh!!!! super rich, can you give me money???? $ 5.5 million, tnx, joking
41. NO LONG THING - February 26th, 2008 at 8:52 am
what do you call you name sheikh shah suree or what idont want to know u are a big fool capital BIG FOOL you need to work amd become somebody great
42. Jasmine Hearn - March 14th, 2008 at 5:57 am
I think that they are very lucky to be very wealthy….. And I wish I had half the money that they have.
43. England - April 5th, 2008 at 5:51 am
if oprah is worth $2.5 billion (£1.25 billion) and queen elizabeth of the united kingdom is worth £17 billion ($34 billion) i don’t under stand how oprah winfrey is supposed to be the richest woman in the world?
44. white - April 15th, 2008 at 8:54 am
this is inspirational and motivating to women,that they can do it too.bbravo
45. Susan - April 23rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
i wish these women were hot so i could marry one of them or all. Im mormon so its ok.
46. Carmella - May 13th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
What about Oprah?
47. jfrater - May 14th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Oprah is worth 2.5 billion as of 2007 - the poorest woman on this list is worth 8.7 billion - Oprah is a long way off!
Also, England: Queen Elizabeth if worth $500 million - she is nowhere near this list either.
48. England - May 14th, 2008 at 11:21 am
No i will think you’ll find that from source subject, Queen Elizabeth is worth £500 Mill, but her real estate humonic wealth is £17 Bill so i think she tops nearly every woman on this list
49. James - May 20th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I wonder why the Mars girl is fat…
50. noble - May 27th, 2008 at 12:51 am
WATCH OUT………ladies……..
hook up with me…..
nobleartsncraft.org
51. judith - May 29th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
please get to me i need some help .need you to help me out with some college please.
52. kaydbud - June 6th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Could we have a list of the happiest, most content women in the world and also in the USA?? Bet it would not be these extremely wealthy ones. Have seen very wealthy up close and personal, some of the most miserable and friendless people in the world.
53. alibrano - June 13th, 2008 at 5:59 am
ladies who need a good man should contect me
54. moneyissweet - June 19th, 2008 at 8:29 am
How can I have the email addresses and other contact information of these lady billionairs?????. I want to have them as my friends and one of them as my sweet honey wife. I will be one of the happiest men on earth if I get the priviledge of marrying one of them.
55. Michelle - June 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Hey don’t be hating on these ladies, tru most of them inhereted their money, but it stil takes brains to keep it once you’ve got it!!!!!!!!!!
56. Gecko - June 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I wonder where J.K Rowling would be on that list…
Andyobdy that doesn’t know who she is, is a big shock to me.
57. chibyke - July 8th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
to me this ladys are incredible bcos inherit or no inherit what matters is where there have been with what handled to them.even i chibyke will be the happiest man on eath if i get the priviledge of marrying one of them. am so serious about this.
58. Scotty Stevens - July 13th, 2008 at 3:42 am
People wondering why there are no self-made women on this list?
Even with the feminist movement and the PC - and ridiculous - ‘equality’ concept (no two humans are equal), the answer lies in logic: Men are genetically more adept at the skills required for starting and running a business.
Yes, I am sexist/logical in that I acknowledge the objective differences in the general man and the general woman. And there ARE differences.
You know it makes sense.
To freedom,
Scotty Stevens
59. aarmaan - August 1st, 2008 at 3:55 am
I wish, i would 1 of those lucky women
60. bootlicker - August 6th, 2008 at 1:17 am
As the philosopher Randy Newman said, “They say money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy you a big long limousine with a big-breasted blonde and a big bottle of champagne. Now that may not be happiness, but it’s allright.”
61. blank123 - August 10th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Hey this is oprah and I wanted to tell you all it does not matter how they got there money yes its true I worked hard but these women lost something for the fame and fortune a loved one so think before you talk because it takes a brain to run multi billion dollars companies (ps. I don’t have even as close as to the poorest lady)
62. samat - August 10th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
hope they are all ok and in good health…! Frankly i would like sharing they life experince and what they do when there is alot of money …that for sure they unable to use it till end of they life… pls..i wish one of them kindly send email to me…bye see you all..may god bless you all always !!
63. wtf!? - August 15th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
wth?! i don’t even know half these people!
64. ROSEMARY - August 17th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
If I was a bird I would fly to those blessed wealthy womans to help our NPO Organisation donate a car and suppotr us with a rent for our office
65. samat - August 17th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hi .. to all 10 richest women, Thanks to God that you are happened to be one of the richest women in the world…its not easy to be rich.. you must be grateful to God and gifted by him that you are rich enough with alot of money and materials…you could get what ever you want…i wish to be like you one day but what to do…i am not born to be rich…and be afrid to be rich then…i wish to be rich in mind, happiness, healtiness and safety..hope you are happy with your family and God keeps the safety of yourself and your wealthy…..see then
66. melese bissare - August 29th, 2008 at 7:23 am
mrs.Liliane Bettencourt Wikipedia
i read her wealth backgraund she are wonderful womane in this world, after few year she become top of richest men in the world.
good by
67. melese - August 29th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Hi to all remain nine woman’s you are liky woman’s in this world, you may lead this world by financial. all of wonderful!
68. Tyhler - August 29th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
In response the the Oprah comment;
She’s the richest black woman, not the richest woman in general.
69. pedro schwartz (oy) - September 15th, 2008 at 10:59 am
rich bitches rock!!!!!
70. reach - September 19th, 2008 at 9:47 am
i am also the reachest woman but i want u ur self to see my money i sleep on money i use mney for toilet paper
71. reyn - September 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
hope that we will be pro-Oprah Winfrey..
she’s great to have her riches..
i think she’s happy with her life because she shares her money to foundations and charities..if i am one of the worlds richest, i will spend my money to God’s ministry because saved by grace people is more than a hundred billion to me…
72. Starr - September 27th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Are You Kidding Me!?
73. UNDEADD - September 30th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
to me, the richest woman on earth is Oprah Winfrey. cause she actually worked for her money and did not inherit it from her rich daddy.
Sad all the top 10 women had to inherit it from thier dadzz…
Thilna-Sri Lanka