Meet the world's five richest women

In 2022, there were 327 women billionaires across the world. While this comes as a slightly large proportion of the billionaire population, there are currently 337 women billionaires in the world, according to Forbes' recent ranking of wealthy people.

These women have become driving forces in their respective fields, spanning across different sectors of the global economy through diversified investments.

GhanaWeb Business takes a look at the top five wealthiest women billionaires in the world, according to Forbes’ latest ranking for 2023.

Françoise Meyers

Leading the pack is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who has a net worth of $80.5 billion, representing a significant gain of almost $5 billion from 2022.

Françoise Meyers, who is the owner of L'Oréal - the world's largest cosmetics company, has taken the top spot for the third consecutive year.

In 2022, the cosmetics giant’s stock rose by 12 percent, impacting on its revenue addition.

Julia Koch

In second place is Julia Koch, who has a net worth of $59 billion. She owns 42 percent stake of conglomerate, Koch Industries, alongside her three children.

Julia Koch oversees the David H. Koch Foundation, which supports various social causes such as education, criminal justice reforms, poverty, among others. In January2023, she was appointed as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alice Walton

In the third place for the 2023 ranking on Forbes is Alice Walton, who is worth $56.7 billion. She inherited a stake in retail company, Walmart, from her father and co-founder, Sam Walton.

The 73-year-old woman oversees the operations of chain hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores across the United States.

Jacquline Mars

Jacquline Mars and her brother, John Mars, own an estimated one-third of candy and pet food multinational giant, Mars Inc.

Mars is particularly known for producing candy staples like Snickers, M&M’s and others. Jacquline Mars and her brother inherited the company which was founded by their grandfather in 1911.

Mariam Adelson

In the fifth position of the rankings is Mariam Adelson, who has a net worth of $35 billion. She is the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the world's largest casino operator.

Meanwhile, former wife of Amazon founder MacKenzie Scott saw her net worth drop to $19.2 billion in the past year. This was attributed to her enormous charitable giving which has reached more than $14 billion.

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant has also become the highest ranked self-made female billionaire in the world. She is a part owner of Switzerland-based MSC, the world’s largest shipping line, with her husband Gianluigi.

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant has an estimated net worth of $31.2 billion.

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