Forbes 2025 top 10 World’s richest women

Women remain underrepresented on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list. In 2025, there are 406 women among 3,028 billionaires. This is just 13.4% of the total.

This number is a slight increase from 2024, when there were 369 women. They made up 13.3% of the list. Progress is slow but shows a small shift in global wealth.

Here are the top 10 richest women in 2025 according to Forbes:

**10th: Melinda French Gates**
She has a net worth of $30.4 billion. The 60-year-old American gained $19.3 billion this year. Forbes raised its estimate of her divorce settlement with Bill Gates to $25 billion. In June 2024, she left the Gates Foundation to focus on Pivotal Ventures, which invests in women-led startups and funds. She and Bill Gates have given an estimated $47.7 billion over their lifetime.

**9th: Marilyn Simons & Family**
They have a net worth of $31 billion. The 74-year-old derives her wealth from hedge funds. She controls the Simons Foundation, which supports science education and research. Simons has dedicated much of her career to philanthropy and serves on several boards.

**8th: Miriam Adelson & Family**
They sit at eighth with a net worth of $32.1 billion. The 79-year-old owns more than half of Las Vegas Sands, founded by her late husband in 1989. A physician by training, she focuses on combating drug addiction through philanthropy.

**7th: Abigail Johnson**
The American has a net worth of $32.7 billion and is ranked seventh. As chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments, she holds a significant stake in the company founded by her grandfather in 1946.

**6th: Savitri Jindal & Family**
With a net worth of $35.5 billion, she ranks sixth as India's richest matriarch. Jindal controls the Jindal Group, which operates in steel, power, cement, and infrastructure.

**5th: Rafaela Aponte-Diamant**
The Swiss billionaire has a net worth of $37.7 billion at age 80. She is the richest self-made woman for three years running due to her stake in Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

**4th: Jacqueline Mars**
At number four with $42.6 billion, Mars is an American whose wealth comes from candy and pet food brands like M&Ms and Snickers.

**3rd: Julia Koch & Family**
They hold third place with a net worth of $74.2 billion after inheriting stakes in Koch Industries from David Koch.

**2nd: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & Family**
With an estimated fortune of $81.6 billion, she ranks second as L’Oréal's heiress but saw her wealth decline due to weaker sales.

**1st: Alice Walton**
She tops the list with a net worth of $101 billion at age 75 as Walmart's founder's daughter; she added nearly $28 billion this year due to rising stock prices.