The 20 richest women in the world, ranked

Original story by Business Insider · September 21, 2026Summarised for reading. The full article stays with the publisher.

Whether they're founders or heiresses to some of the world's biggest companies, most of the world's richest women saw their wealth grow over the past year.

The sources of their fortunes span a range of industries, from cosmetics to building supplies, and most of the top 20 hail from the US.

This ranking and additional information were compiled from Forbes' World's Billionaires List. It shows a snapshot of wealth from March 1, 2026. Women comprised 14% of the Forbes' World's Billionaires List.

Forbes estimates net worth using assets such as stakes in public and private companies, real estate, and other holdings; it also accounts for factors including debt and charitable giving.

In some cases, Forbes also counts wealth held by a founder or heir's immediate family, identifying those entries with "& family."

"Source" refers to the main source of the individual's wealth. "World rank" refers to each woman's placement on the 2006 World's Billionaires List.

With a combined wealth of $886 billion, including that of some immediate family members, here are the 20 richest women in the world:

Diane Hendricks, 79, cofounded ABC Supply in 1982 with her husband. After the death of Ken Hendricks in 2007, she has been the chair of ABC Supply and has led the company on its two biggest acquisitions.

Christy Walton, 77, inherited a stake in Walmart after her husband, John Walton, died in 2005. She also inherited about one-sixth of his estate.

Gina Rinehart, 72, rebuilt her father's financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, following his death. Since 1992, she has been the executive chair of Hancock, whose biggest asset is an iron ore mining project.

Vicky Safra, 74, inherited her fortune, along with her children, from her late husband, Joseph Safra. The family's financial empire includes J. Safra Sarasin in Switzerland, Safra National Bank of New York, and Banco Safra in Brazil.

MacKenzie Scott, 56, gained a 4% stake in Amazon following her divorce from founder Jeff Bezos. An author and philanthropist, Scott shares details of her donations on the website Yield Giving.

Dive deeper

Whether they're founders or heiresses to some of the world's biggest companies, most of the world's richest women saw their wealth grow over the past year.
The sources of their fortunes span a range of industries, from cosmetics to building supplies, and most of the top 20 hail from the US.
This ranking and additional information were compiled from Forbes' World's Billionaires List. It shows a snapshot of wealth from March 1, 2026. Women comprised 14% of the Forbes' World's Billionaires List.
Forbes estimates net worth using assets such as stakes in public and private companies, real estate, and other holdings; it also accounts for factors including debt and charitable giving.
In some cases, Forbes also counts wealth held by a founder or heir's immediate family, identifying those entries with "& family."

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