Walmart heiress, Alice Walton has once again secured the top position on the latest ranking of the world’s richest women, according to the annual billionaires list released by Forbes.
The Walmart heiress maintained her lead for the second consecutive year with an estimated fortune of $134 billion, reinforcing her dominance among female billionaires worldwide.
Walton first claimed the top spot in September 2024 after surpassing Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the French cosmetics empire heir who now ranks second on the list with a net worth of $100 billion.
Coming in third is Julia Koch, widow of industrialist David Koch, with an estimated wealth of $81.2 billion.
The ranking also highlighted the growing presence of women among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
Out of 3,428 billionaires listed this year, 481 are women, accounting for 14 per cent of the total, an increase from 406 women (13.4 percent) recorded the previous year.
In fourth place is Chilean businesswoman Iris Fontbona with a fortune of $52.6 billion, followed by Jacqueline Mars in fifth place with $49.1 billion.
Among the top ten richest women, the only self-made billionaire is Swiss shipping entrepreneur Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, whose wealth is estimated at $44.5 billion.
Despite dropping from fifth to sixth place, she remained the most prominent self-made woman among the elite group.
Overall, 122 women on the list built their fortunes independently, slightly higher than the 113 self-made female billionaires recorded last year.
The report also spotlighted several high-profile newcomers and self-made entrepreneurs. Global music icon Beyonce entered the billionaires’ club for the first time with a net worth of $1 billion.
Other notable self-made billionaires include Rihanna with $1 billion, Sara Blakely with $1.4 billion, and Taylor Swift with $2 billion.
Meanwhile, Brazilian entrepreneur Luana Lopes Lara emerged as the youngest self-made female billionaire at age 29, surpassing Lucy Guo, who previously held the distinction.
Analysts said the rising number of female billionaires reflects expanding opportunities for women in global business, technology, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.
