It’s already 2025 and women are moving way higher above the glass ceiling, they are touching the sky and breaking gender stereotypes becoming quite richer and more successful than their male counterparts. Gone are the days when we would imagine an old and grumpy man in positions like a member of the board. Women are replacing chairmen with chairpersons and heirs with heiresses. They are redefining their power among the top industry leaders and disruptors around the globe with their net worth in billions.
While many of the richest women in the world are heiresses to great, age-old businesses, some of them are self-made too. They are proudly dictating their financial dominance in the patriarchal society with the powerhouse of wealth and success they’ve built, expanded, or inherited. Here are the 10 richest and most successful women in the world in 2025 with each one of them holding a massive fortune in the grip of her manicured hands!
10 Richest and Most Successful Women in the World in 2025
While the most successful women can be most influential too in the fields of their own, they need not necessarily be the richest. But some of the names do compete among both the lists as most of them are heirs to successful family fortunes besides being significantly successful themselves. Check out some of these world-renowned names which are leading the world in 2025.
1) Alice Walton
Age: 75
Net Worth: $112.5 Billion
Source of Wealth: Walmart
The American Philanthropist Alice Louise Walton is the heiress of the massive fortune of Walmart. Being among the three offsprings of late founder Sam Walton, she holds a net worth of $112.5 billion and ranks among the richest women in the world in 2025. A majority of her wealth comes from the retail giant’s fortune but she has herself chosen not to be a part of the business. She has, instead, made her passion for Arts and has also founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
2) Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Age: 71
Net Worth: $74.4 Billion
Source of Wealth: L’Oréal
The beauty billionaire is the queen of L’Oréal, a brand most women would associate with. With a net worth of $74.4 billion, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is a French businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the granddaughter of L’Oréal founder and is the chairwoman of the company. Being an heiress to the billion-dollar fortune in association with her family, Meyers is also the richest woman in Europe. She is a part of the massive empire and works on expanding the brand’s dominance in the global beauty industry.
3) Julia Koch
Age: 62
Net Worth: $74.2 Billion
Source of Wealth: Koch Industries
Koch Industries, owned by Late David Koch, is one of the largest private companies in America. His widow Julia Margaret Flesher Koch, along with their 3 children, has inherited the massive wealth from her husband and now her net worth is $74.2 billion. She became the heiress of 42% of the company’s shares after the owner passed away in 2019. The American socialite and philanthropist has made great use of this wealth by expanding her influence in other industries including healthcare and politics.
4) Jacqueline Mars
Age: 85
Net Worth: $42.5 Billion
Source of Wealth: Mars Inc.
Mars Inc. is a candy empire that has expanded its ‘sweet’ fortune from confectionary to pet care. The firm was established by late Franklin Clarence Mars and today, his granddaughter Jacqueline Mars holds about 1/3rd of the company. After being a member of the board till 2016, Jacqueline now owns a horse firm as she is retired from Mars. Despite handing over the mantle to her son, she is the heiress to such a massive empire and gets listed among the richest women in the world, time and again.
5) Abigail Johnson
Age: 63
Net Worth: $38 Billion
Source of Wealth: Fidelity Investments
The American billionaire businesswoman is the CEO of Fidelity Investments and has a net worth of $38 billion. Abigail Pierrepont Johnson is the granddaughter of the company’s founder late Edward C. Johnson II and she is running the firm with her revolutionizing strategies. She has taken the world-renowned investment company to new heights by expanding the empire with her experience and knowledge. She is proving, time and again, that finance isn’t just for the males as she owns her family fortune gracefully.
6) Savitri Jindal
Age: 74
Net Worth: $34.3 Billion
Source of Wealth: Jindal Group
Savitri Devi Jindal, who is a businesswoman and a politician, is the only woman among this list of Indian nationality as she is the chairperson of the famous Jindal Group. The steel empress is the richest woman in India besides being a Member of the Legislative Assembly and the president of Maharaja Agrasen Medical College. She inherited the fortune from her late husband Om Prakash Jindal, the great business tycoon and the founder of the Jindal Group. The company deals in steel, cement, power, and infrastructure industries, and Savitri Jindal, being the matriarch, has taken the entire empire to new heights.
7) MacKenzie Scott
Age: 54
Net Worth: $32.3 Billion
Source of Wealth: Amazon
The American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is the not-so-famous ex-wife of the popular celebrity businessman, Jeff Bezos. She became an owner of a 4% stake in the firm during her divorce from Amazon founder. Being an author, she decided to pursue her passion instead of sitting on the billion-dollar fortune bestowed on her. In fact, immediately after the couple announced their divorce terms, MacKenzie pledged to give away about half of her wealth for underfunded causes. The philanthropy playbook writer has already given away around $16 billion to thousands of non-profit organizations.
8) Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Age: 79
Net Worth: $33.1 Billion
Source of Wealth: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Group
The major shareholder in the MSC Group is Rafaela Aponte-Diamant who owns a 50% stake in the company. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, wife of Gianluigi Aponte, is an Italian billionaire businessperson who has founded the company alongside her husband. She is among the self-made richest women which makes her one of the most successful women in the world. MSC Group, which is the world’s largest shipping line was started as a business by the couple together and today, Rafaela being the co-owner dominates the company’s global logistics.
9) Miriam Adelson
Age: 79
Net Worth: $32 Billion
Source of Wealth: Las Vegas Sands
Miriam Adelson is named among the richest and the most successful women in the world because of her massive fortune. The casino queen is the heiress to Las Vegas Sands founded by her late husband Sheldon Adelson. Being a widow of the ex-CEO of the casino company, she owns over half the stake in the firm and has a net worth of $32 billion. Besides being a businesswoman, Miriam is a physician and political donor; she, along with her husband, has donated $90 million toward the 2020 Presidential campaign by Donald Trump. She has a significant influence in business and American politics which makes her one of the world’s most successful women.
10) Gina Rinehart
Age: 71
Net Worth: $30 Billion
Source of Wealth: Hancock Prospecting
The iron ore lady is the richest woman in Australia! Georgina Hope Rinehart is a mining magnate and a billionaire businesswoman with a net worth of $30 billion. The iron ore empire of this mining titan significantly fuels Australia’s economy. Being the executive chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting, Gina has broken the stereotypes that assume men to be the empire-builders in the mining industry and has proved the game otherwise. The privately-owned company was originally founded by her father Lang Hancock and being the heiress to the mineral exploration and extraction firm, she has taken her dad’s business to new heights.
Final Words
Indeed success isn’t measured by money alone. However, these women who are the richest and the most successful in the world in their respective streams have proved that when it comes to running empires, the feminine energy takes on the front seat and leads businesses like no man can. In the male-dominated society, these women have proved that they aren’t just billion-dollar heiresses but also change-makers and industry disrupters. Despite significant inheritance, most of them have used their immense power and financial influence for the strategic expansion of these empires.
When we say ‘the future is female’, these are the examples that come to mind. These women remind us that success and wealth are no longer gendered. So ladies, if your goal in life is financial independence and dominance, take notes from these legends as they set the blueprint for you. You go, girl!
