Alice Walton is the richest woman in the world in Forbes’ 2026 ranking, with an estimated net worth of $134 billion. Forbes’ figures are in U.S. dollars and are dated March 1, 2026, so they are the latest ranking located—not live valuations for October 8, 2026.
Who are the richest women in the world?
The following ranking and wealth estimates are from Forbes’ 2026 list, published March 10, 2026. Forbes attributes the fortunes to the sources shown; entries marked “& family” should not be read as wealth belonging to one person alone.
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| Rank | Person(s) | Estimated net worth | Reported source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice Walton | $134 billion | Walmart |
| 2 | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | $100 billion | L’Oréal |
| 3 | Julia Koch & family | $81.2 billion | Koch, Inc. |
| 4 | Iris Fontbona & family | $52.6 billion | Mining |
| 5 | Jacqueline Mars | $49.1 billion | Candy |
| 6 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $44.5 billion | Shipping |
| 7 | Savitri Jindal & family | $39.1 billion | Steel |
| 8 | Miriam Adelson & family | $37.5 billion | Casinos |
| 9 | Abigail Johnson | $33.2 billion | Fidelity |
| 10 | Zheng Shuliang & family | $33.2 billion | Aluminum products |
Abigail Johnson and Zheng Shuliang & family are tied at $33.2 billion in the displayed estimates. Forbes lists Johnson ninth and Zheng tenth.
Why Alice Walton leads the ranking
Walton’s estimated fortune rose from $101 billion to $134 billion in the year-over-year comparison reported by Forbes. The publication linked the increase to Walmart shares, which surged 30% over the year. It also reported that Walmart became the first traditional retailer to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization in February 2026.
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How the other top fortunes changed
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Forbes put Bettencourt Meyers and her family at $100 billion, up from $81.6 billion in the prior-year comparison, as L’Oréal shares rose 13%. She stepped down from the company’s board in 2025 after 28 years.
Iris Fontbona
Fontbona and her family were estimated at $52.6 billion, compared with $28.1 billion a year earlier. Forbes linked the increase partly to record-high copper prices and identified Antofagasta, a London Stock Exchange-listed copper-mine owner, as the primary source of her wealth.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Aponte-Diamant is the only self-made woman in the top ten, according to Forbes. The article describes her and her husband, Gianluigi Aponte, as cofounders of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). It reports that they started the business with a $200,000 loan to finance their first ship and had a fleet of 17 within nine years. MSC operates in cruises, logistics and port operations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the ranking says about women’s wealth
Forbes counted 481 women among 3,428 billionaires in its 2026 ranking, or 14%. Its 2025 comparison was 406 women, or 13.4%. The publication also counted 122 women billionaires who made their own money, up from 113 in the prior-year comparison. These are figures reported by Forbes, not an audited census.
The top ten span retail, cosmetics, industrial holdings, mining, candy, shipping, steel, casinos, financial services and aluminum products. The ranking also distinguishes individual names from fortunes attributed to a family. Only Aponte-Diamant is identified as self-made among these ten; the other entries include inherited or family-associated wealth.
How to interpret the net-worth estimates
Forbes dates these estimates to March 1, 2026. Wealth tied to company shares or commodities can move as their values change, so the figures should be understood as dated estimates rather than fixed totals. The ranking article does not provide a complete explanation of how it values each person’s holdings, handles private assets or liabilities, or converts currencies. Rankings from other publications may differ because their estimates and cutoff dates can differ.
Source: Forbes Australia’s 2026 richest-women ranking, published March 10, 2026; Forbes says it was originally published on Forbes.com.
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