Each year, Forbes comes up with a definitive list of the richest and wealthiest individuals in the entire world. They breakdown the list by gender, location, age, industry, and a variety of other factors. Today we are going to take a look at a list of the 20 richest women in the entire world, and all of them are billionaires.
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20. Sandra Ortega Mera – Net Worth: $6.3 Billion Country: Spain
The first person on our list is Sandra Ortega Mera, and she has a net worth of $6.3 billion. Sandra Ortega Mera inherited a 7% stake in Inditex, a Spanish multinational clothing company and this is where she earned the vast majority of her net worth.
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19. Eva Gonda de Rivera – Net Worth: $6.7 Billion
Eva Gonda de Rivera is a Mexican businesswoman who, along with her daughters, owns a major state in the FEMSA beverage corporation. They also operate convenience stores and bottling plants across Mexico and Latin America.
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18. Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler – Net Worth: $6.7 Billion
Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler co-owns the Schaeffler Group with her son Georg in Germany. They assumed control of the company after her husband’s death in 1996. Schaeffler Group is one of the world’s largest producers of roller bearings in the world. The company is completely privately owned and employs over 70,000 people.
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17. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus – Net Worth $8.4 Billion Country
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus was born and educated in Russia and holds a degree in Economics and a law degree. She was married to Robert Louis-Dreyfus until his death in 2009. She is currently the chairman of Louis-Dreyfus Group. She resides in Zurich with her three children.
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16. Blair Parry-Okeden – Net Worth: $8.5 Billion
Blair Parry-Okeden is an American that is the heiress to her grandfather’s wealth. He established Cox Enterprises and her Aunt is Anne Cox Chambers who is also on this list at number 7. She lives in Australia with her husband and two children and has no role in the family business.
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15. Carrie Perrodo – Net Worth: $8.8 Billion
Carrie Perrodo is French businesswoman who was born in Singapore. With her husband, Hubert, she founded the oil group, Perenco. They were married until his death in 2006. She has three children and resides in France.
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14. Massimiliana Landini Aleoltti – Net Worth: $10.4
Massimiliana and her three children are the sole beneficiaries of her late husband’s estate who built the Menarini company into one of Italy’s leading drug manufacturer.
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13. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken – Net Worth: $11.6 Billion
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is the owner of a controlling interest in the world’s third-largest brewer, Heineken International. She is an executive director at Heineken Holdings NV. She resides in London with her husband, Michel de Carvalho and their five children.
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12. Gina Rinehart – Net Worth: $12.3 Billion
Gina Rinehart is Australia’s wealthiest person and her wealth was acquired as she inherited her family’s mining interests. She is also the chairman of Hancock Prospecting Group and the largest shareholder in Fairfax Media. She was married twice and has four children.
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11. Abigail Johnson – Net Worth: $13.4 Billion
Abigail Johnson is an American businesswoman. She has been the CEO of the US investment firm, Fidelity Investments, which was founded by her grandfather, Edward C. Johnson. She is married and has two children and resides in Boston, Massachusetts.
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10. Iris Fontbona – Net Worth: $13.5 Billion
Iris Fontbona is the second wife of Antonio Andronico Luksic Abaroa who was a Chilean businessman who founded the Luksic Group She has two children and two step children. She is ranked as the 33rd wealthiest person in the world and inherited the majority of her wealth from her husband.
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9. Johanna Quandt – Net Worth: $13.9 Billion
Johanna Quandt is the mother of Susanna Klatten and widow of the German industrialist, Herbert Quandt who is credited with pulling BMW out of bankruptcy. She supports child-cancer institutes and is a major donor to political parties and inherited her fortune.
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8. Susanne Klatten – Net Worth: $16.8
Susanne Klatten is the daughter of Herbert and Johanna Quant and the wealthiest woman in Germany. Upon her father’s death, she acquired a 50.1% stake in the pharmaceutical manufacturer, Altana. She also retains a 12.5% stake in BMW. She is married and has three children and she resides in Bad Homberg, Germany.
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7. Anne Cox Chambers – Net Worth: $17 Billion
Hailing from the United States, Ann Cox Chambers is the daughter of of James Cox, a newspaper publisher and one time Democratic presidential nominee in 1920. She presides over Cox Enterprises which is composed of newspapers, television, radio and cable television networks. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia and has three children.
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6. Laurene Powell Jobs – Net Worth: $19.5 Billion
Lauren Jobs is the widow of Steve Jobs, former founder of Apple Inc. and is also an American business executive and the founder of Emerson Collective, which advocates for policies concerning education and immigration reform, social justice, and environmental conservation. She resides in California and has three children and one step child.
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5. Maria Franca Fissolo – Net Worth: $23.4 Billion
Maria Fissolo is the widow of Michele Ferrero whose family created Nutella, Kinder Chocolates, and Tic Tac mints. She has two sons and they have vowed to keep the company in family hands. Maria resides in Monaco.
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4. Jacqueline Mars – Net Worth: $26.6 Billion
Jacqueline Mars is the daughter of Forrest Mars, Sr. and granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, founders of the famous candy company, Mars, Inc. She has been listed as the 20th wealthiest American and the 28th wealthiest person in the world. She is a trustee of the US Equestrian team and is on the board of directors for the Washington National Opera, the National Sporting Library, and Fine Arts Museum. She resides in Virginia and has three children.
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3. Alice Walton – Net Worth: $39.4 Billion
Alice Walton is the heir to the Walmart fortune and is the daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. She spends much of her time purchasing art and has amassed a remarkable collection. She is also involved with the National Cutting Horse Association. She was married and divorced twice and has no children.
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2. Liliane Bettencourt – Net Worth: $40.7 Billion
Lillian Bettencourt is the only child of the founder of L’Oreal cosmetics. She is now a philanthropist and with her husband and daughter, founded the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation to support and develop medical, cultural, and humanitarian projects. She is ranked as the 10th wealthiest person in the world.
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1. Christy Walton – Net Worth: $41.7 Billion
Christy Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, son of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. She is a philanthropist and is ranked as the 6th richest person in the US and 8th wealthiest person in the world. She resides in Jackson, Wyoming and has one sone, Lukas.
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