Forbes magazine released the 2024 list of billionaires, with the top ten spots occupied by men. But who are the 10 richest women in the world?

It is worth noting that most of the richest women inherited their fortunes. MacKenzie Scott is the only one in the top 10 who obtained her fortune through a divorce. This year, it should be noted, there are more women on the list: there are 369 out of 2,781 billionaires, compared to 337 in 2023.

You have to go down to 15th place on the list to find the first woman - Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, granddaughter of the founder of L'Oreal. At 70, she is the richest woman in the world.

The French businesswoman and her family have a net worth of $99.5 billion (over €91.9 billion) and have held the title of the world's richest person since 2018. To get there, it should be recalled, Françoise entered into a legal dispute with her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, as portrayed in the Netflix series 'The Billionaire, the Butler and the Lover'.

Next is Alice Walton, who is 21st on the list. The 74-year-old American is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton and has a net worth estimated at $72.3 billion (over €66 billion).

In third place is Julia Koch and family. Julia Koch and her three children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries from her husband, David, who died in 2019 at the age of 79. Now 61, the American is 23rd in the Forbes ranking, with a net worth of $64.3 billion (over €59 billion).

The fourth richest woman in the world is Jacqueline Mars, 35th on the list. A native of the United States, 84-year-old Jacqueline Mars owns about a third of Mars, the candy, food and pet products company founded by her grandfather. She has a net worth of $38.5 billion (over €35.5 billion).

Next is MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to whom she was married for 25 years. As part of their 2019 divorce, she received a 4% stake in the company. The philanthropist is 53 years old, American, and has a net worth of $35.6 billion (over €32.8 billion). She is 43rd in the ranking.

Next is Savitri Jindal and family, 46th on the list. The 74-year-old Indian woman is the chairperson of the Jindal Group, whose activities include steel, energy, cement and infrastructure. She is the widow of founder Om Prakash Jindal and has a fortune estimated at $33.5 billion (over €30.9 billion).

The seventh richest woman in the world is Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, co-founder of one of the largest shipping companies in the world. She is the only one in the top 10 who built her own fortune. Rafaela Aponte-Diamantm, 79, and her husband, Gianluigi, each own a 50% stake in MSC. From Switzerland, she is 48th on the list and has a fortune of $33.1 billion (over €30.5 billion).

Eighth is Miriam Adelson and family. She is 78 years old, American, and the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the former CEO and chairman of casino company Las Vegas Sands, who died at age 87 in 2021. She is 53rd in the ranking and has a fortune of $32 billion (over $29.5 billion).

The ninth richest woman in the world is also the richest woman in Australia. Gina Rinehart, 70, built her wealth on iron ore and has a net worth of $30.8 billion (over €28.4 billion), ranking 56th on the Forbes list.

This top 10 closes with Abigail Johnson. The 62-year-old American has been CEO of Fidelity Investments since 2014, when she replaced her father, and president since 2016. She is 58th and has a fortune of $29 billion (over €26.7 billion).

It should be noted that Forbes magazine's list includes only one Portuguese name: Maria Fernanda Amorim, whose fortune is estimated at €5.3 billion, currently ranked 522nd.

Despite conflicts, inflation and political conjecture, there are more billionaires than ever before. Forbes included a total of 2,781 people on its 2024 list of the world's richest, 141 more than last year. This number even surpassed the record set in 2021, with 26 new entries.

The majority are also from the United States, which holds a record 813 billionaires. China, including Hong Kong, is second with 473 billionaires, while India is third with 200 of the world's richest.

For the second year in a row, French businessman Bernard Arnault took the podium, followed by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison in the top five.

The values refer to the data recorded up to March 8, 2024.

Scroll through the gallery to see the 10 richest women in the world.

Also read: Portugal's richest woman rises again on Forbes list (Portuguese version)