Richest Woman in the World – Top 10 Wealthiest Female Billionaire List 2013

#1) Liliane Bettencourt – $30 Billion- Richest Woman in the World for 2013

Being the richest woman in the world, Liliane Bettencourt is also the wealthiest female in  all European countries and also in France. She is also the  richest person in France after overtaking billionaire Bernanrd Arnault in the month of March 2013. She is the principal shareholder in the largest cosmetics company L’Oreal. L’oreal was founded by her father and she is the only daughter. She inherited stocks after her father’s death. Some months ago, Liliane Bettencourt was in news for having sold her island Paradise in Seychelles for around $60 million. This gave her profits of $42 million. (Source)

---

#2) Christy Walton – $28.2 B – Richest Woman in America

Being the second richest woman in the world, Christy Walton ranks #11 in the list of rich people in the world. (Source) She is widow of John Walton. Her father-in-law was Sam Walton who is the founder of largest retailing chain Wal-Mart. Currently, she resides in United States which is also her birthplace. Her major chunk of net worth is because of stocks in Wal-mart and in First Solar Company. Her wealth is inherited and not self-made. She is the richest woman billionaire in United States of America. Her net worth stands at $28.2 Billions and she resides in Jackson, Wyoming in USA!

---

#3) Alice Walton – $26.3 B – From United States

Sister-in-law of Christy Walton and the only daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, Alice is the third richest woman in the world. Her net worth stands at Twenty Three Billion US Dollars. She was born in Arkansas and  is a citizen of United States. She resides in Fort Worth, Texas in USA. She ranks #10 in the list of richest people in United States and ranks #16 in the list of richest people in the world. Her major source of income is through Wal-Mart. She was also recognized by Times Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. (Source)

---

#4) Iris Fontbona – $17.4 B – Richest Person and Woman in Chile

Inheriting wealth from her husband, Iris Fontbona is the fourth richest female in the world. She ranks first in country of Chile in terms of net worth. She ranks #35in the list of Forbes Billionaires. She, along with her family, controls Antofagasta which is one of the largest copper miners on planet Earth. She also controls , through holding company Quinenco, the country’s second-largest bank (Banco de Chile), largest brewer (CCU) and the biggest shipping company in Latin America (CSAV). (ref)

---

#5) Gina Rinehart – $17 B – Richest Woman in Australia

Richest person in the country of Australia, Gina Rinehart ranks fifth in this list. She is the daughter of late Lang Hancock who was a mining tycoon. She inherited the business from her father and took it to new heights which is reflected in her net worth. According to Forbes, her net worth stands at Eighteen Billion US Dollars. Her major source of wealth is from mining and hence she is some times also called as ‘Mining Billionaire’. She ranks #35 in the list of most powerful women in the world. (Ref)

---

#5)  Jaqueline Mars – $17 B – From United States

Daughter of Forrest Edwards Mars Sr. , Jaqueline Mars belongs to one of the richest family in the world i.e. Mars Family. Her family is next to Walton Family and Koch Family in terms of wealth. She reside in The Plains, Virginia in United States of America. Her business is of manufacturing and selling candies. her company is the largest candy maker. (ref)

---

#7) Susanne Klatten – $14.3 B – Richest Woman in Germany

Daughter of Herbert Quandt, Susanne Klatten was born in Bad Homburg in Germany. She is a citizen of Germany and resides in that country. She occupies the #4 in Forbes German Billionaires. She inherited her father’s wealth along with her brother Stefan Quandt. She owns stakes in popular car manufacturer BMW and in pharmaceutical company Altana. (ref)

---

#8) Abigail Johnson – $12.7 B – Fidelity Investments

American businesswoman and President of Fidelity Investments, Abigail Johnson is the eight richest female in the world. She is the daughter of Edward Johnson III who is also an American billionaire. As per Forbes Magazine, she ranks #27 in the list of richest people in USA and occupies the position #74 in Forbes billionaires. She is also the most powerful woman in the global fund management business (Source). She is an alumnus of Harvard University and ranks #57 in the list of most powerful women in the world. (ref) In August 2012, her father promoted her to President of Fidelity Financial Services. (ref)

---

#9) Miuccia Prada – $12.4 B – Richest Woman in Italy

As per the latest data, Miuccia Prada is the third richest person in Italy. Born in second-largest city of Milan, Italy, she took over the reins of fashion company Prada from her mother.  On list of most powerful women, she ranks #67. Her academic degrees and qualifications are un-matchable with any other woman in this list.  She hold a Doctorate in Pedagogical Sciences from University of Milan. (ref)

---

#10) Anne Cox Chambers – $12 B

Born on 1st December, 1919, aged 93, Anne Cox is the oldest richest woman in the world on this list. Her father was once a Democratic Presidential Candidate in US Elections of year 1920. She is the primary owner of Cox Enterprises. Cox Enterprises was founded by her father James Middleton Cox after taking over a newspaper named Dayton Evening News. She was once a US ambassador to Belgium under the government of Jimmy Carter from 1977-1981. (ref 1 & ref 2.  )

---

Birgit Rausing – $14 B – Richest Woman in Sweden

Born in a village of Southern Sweden, Birgit Rausing ranks second in country of Sweden in terms of wealth. She inherited wealth from her husband after his death. She is an active philanthropist and resides in Vaud, Switzerland. She is a citizen of Sweden and ocupies the second spot in list of Sweden’s Billionaires. She is the owner of Tetra Laval which is a privately-held company.