The 20 Richest Women in History

Living during the Tang Dynasty in China, this pivotal figure managed, at the height of his power, to control approximately twenty-three percent of the global economy. He expanded his empire all the way to the heart of Central Asia. His financial reach was so vast that today’s economists estimate that his economic influence would far eclipse that of any billionaire.

As Egypt’s first female pharaoh, she owned stone quarries worth several billion. During her twenty-year reign, she established an extremely prosperous trade network that stretched across Africa and the Middle East. Her subjects thus enjoyed a period of unprecedented economic stability.

As sovereign of the Russian Empire, this famous monarch exercised absolute personal control over approximately 5% of the world’s total economic output. Her landholdings were vast. She also exercised financial authority over the wealth of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This legendary Egyptian ruler presided over an empire that exercised tight control over the highly lucrative wheat, papyrus, and perfume industries in the ancient Mediterranean. Experts have estimated her personal fortune at nearly $96 billion. She used her vast wealth as political leverage to negotiate with powerful Roman generals.

Queen Isabella literally rose to financial supremacy through her marriage to King Ferdinand of Aragon. Before they joined forces, Spain was already an incredibly wealthy country, but their new empire now stretched across all of South America. As soon as Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World, precious metals flooded their economy.

This French heiress has a fortune that regularly fluctuates between $80 billion and $100 billion, mainly thanks to her massive stake in L’Oréal. Her grandfather founded this famous cosmetics company in the early 1900s, and since then, the family fortune has continued to grow spectacularly.

This daughter of Sam Walton, a retail legend, has chosen to make her mark on the international art scene thanks to her colossal fortune. Thanks to Walmart, her fortune recently surpassed the $100 billion mark, giving her the considerable financial resources to fund her magnificent museum in Arkansas.

Following her husband’s death, Julia inherited a massive 42% stake in Koch Industries. This inheritance immediately propelled the New York socialite to the top of the global wealth rankings. Her fortune stands at approximately $74 billion, giving her considerable influence over one of the largest privately held conglomerates in the United States.

Following her highly publicized divorce from the founder of Amazon, she received a 4% stake in the tech giant. She quickly made a name for herself with her bold approach to philanthropy, donating billions to hundreds of charitable organizations without imposing the usual corporate conditions.

If you’ve ever eaten a Snickers bar or a bag of M&M’s, you’ve contributed to the enormous fortune of this low-key heiress to the candy empire. She owns about one-third of Mars Incorporated, giving her a personal fortune estimated at more than forty billion dollars.

This Indian businesswoman and politician has taken the helm of the Jindal Group conglomerate. Her fortune is largely based on significant assets in the steel, energy, cement, and infrastructure sectors. She is thus the richest woman in India, with a fortune estimated at more than thirty-five billion dollars.

Starting a shipping company with her husband, with just one cargo ship, in 1970 turned out to be the best financial decision of her life. Today, they own the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which happens to be the world’s largest cruise and container shipping company.

At the helm of Fidelity Investments since 2014, this financial sector executive has established herself as one of the highest-paid executives in the world. She holds a massive 24% stake in this financial giant. With an estimated net worth of more than $32 billion, she manages trillions of dollars in assets on behalf of her clients.

It is a massive casino empire that has made this woman incredibly wealthy. Her bank account holds more than thirty-two billion dollars, giving her considerable influence in both the gambling industry and political circles.

As Australia’s wealthiest citizen, this mining magnate turned around her father’s struggling iron ore company. She has spent decades fighting legal battles and overseeing massive industrial projects to consolidate her $30 billion empire. She is often featured in rankings of the most influential women in business.

It was by inheriting a substantial stake in BMW and the chemical company Altana that this low-key business leader became the richest woman in Germany. Her fortune is estimated at approximately twenty billion euros. She is renowned for her keen business acumen.

After inheriting a vast mining and beverage empire from her late husband, this Chilean businesswoman has succeeded in growing the family fortune to new heights. She heads Antofagasta, which owns vast copper mines throughout Chile and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

In 2005, Yang’s father transferred a majority stake in the Chinese real estate giant Country Garden to her. She immediately became one of the world’s youngest billionaires. At the peak of her wealth, her net worth exceeded twenty-nine billion dollars.

Laurene inherited a vast fortune consisting of Apple and Disney stock from her late husband, Steve Jobs. She has devoted all her energy to building a legacy of her own. She founded the Emerson Collective, an organization that invests billions of dollars in social reform, environmental projects, and independent journalism.

Hetty was nicknamed “the Witch of Wall Street” because of her eccentric habits and extreme frugality. This 19th-century American businesswoman was a true stock market genius. By applying strict investment rules, she turned a modest family inheritance into a fortune that would be worth several billion dollars today.