It’s interesting to see who the richest people in the world are at any given moment — and since that’s a list that’s still dominated by men, it’s even more interesting to see which women have the highest net worth in the world right now. While a few of the names of the richest women in 2022 will sound familiar to you, others will surprise you, and it’s a sign that a lot of the world’s wealth doesn’t sit in its most visible industries. Looking through the women with the biggest fortunes this year, our jaws dropped at their net worth — and yours probably will too.
While you peruse the top ten richest women, you see a pattern. Many of the women inherited their initial fortunes from their family’s past ventures or their spouses. But anyone can gain money. What made these women hit these top spots is that they knew how to use it, invest, and expand their wealth in multiple ventures.
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Many are CEOs or chairpersons of their own companies, quickly becoming the top player in their respective industries. Along with that, most of the women on this list are very charitable women, frequently donating billions to non-profits around the world.
Now that the list for 2022 is out, we now see just how much money these powerhouse women are sitting on. Hint: the lowest net worth on this list is under $20 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Let’s look at the wealthiest women of 2022 and how they got their wealth below.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers – $74.1 Billion
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Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is currently the richest woman in the world with a net worth of $74.1 billion, per Forbes. She originally inherited her wealth from her grandfather’s business ventures, specifically from L’Oréal cosmetics. As of right now, she is the company chairperson, owning over 30 percent of the company.
Alice Walton – $62.7 Billion
AP Photo/Danny Johnston.
Alice Walton, also known as the heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, has been on the top ten list for years. She inherited her wealth as well from her father Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart. Her net worth is currently $62.7 billion since she owns a plethora of shares in the company.
Julia Koch – $56.9 Billion
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Julia Flesher Koch gained her wealth after her husband David H. Koch passed away in 2019. She inherited a little over 40 percent of his company Koch Industries, currently giving her a net worth of $56.9 billion.
Jacqueline Mars – $48.8 Billion
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Jacqueline Mars inherited her fortune from her family company, the Mars Food Group. Currently, she and her two brothers run the company and she has a net worth of $48.8 billion.
MacKenzie Scott – $46.1 Billion
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MacKenzie Scott, formerly known as MacKenzie Scott Bezos, with a net worth of $46.1 billion. Scott got her wealth from her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, earning four percent of the stake in Amazon, which led to earning billions. As of right now, she’s an author and philanthropist, donating billions to a plethora of non-profits.
Miriam Adelson – $25.6 Billion
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky.
Miriam Adelson originally obtained a substantial amount of wealth from marrying business tycoon Sheldon Adelson. While she’s very known for her political donations, she’s mostly known for her wealth in her majority ownership of Las Vegas Sands which gives her a net worth of $25.6 billion.
Gina Reinhart – $25.2 Billion
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Gina Rinehart is currently the Executive Chairperson for Hanock Prospecting, a mining company originally founded by her father. She is credited with being the one to make it one of the most powerful mining companies in the world, giving her a net worth of $25.2 billion.
Iris Fontbona- $23.1 Billion
Iris Fontbona holds the ninth spot on the list and is considered the richest person in Chile, with a net worth of $23.1 billion. Fontbona and her children control Antofa*gasta, a mining company based in Chile. She also owns the majority of Quiñenco, a conglomerate in Chile, and works frequently with philanthropy.
Yang Huiyan – $22.5 Billion
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Yang Huiyan holds 55 percent of shares in her father Yang Guoqiang’s company called Country Garden Group, a property development company. Because of her net worth of $22.5 billion, she’s the fifth richest woman in the world and the youngest billionaire in Asia at 40 years old.
Susanne Klatten – $18.6 Billion
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Susanne Klatten holds the seventh spot on the richest women list with a net worth of $18.6 billion. She earned her wealth from a variety of shares in BMW, SGL, Altana, and more. She garnered her shares in BMW from her parents after they passed and she helped transform her grandpa’s company Altana into a very successful chemicals company.
Before you go, click here to check out the highest-paid celebrity women today.
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