Christy Walton, who inherited a portion of the Walmart fortune after her husbands death in 2005, is the richest woman in North America and the world with an estimated net worth of $37.9 billion, according to a Wealth-X list of the wealthiest women in each region released today.

Taking second place on the Wealth-X list is Liliane Bettencourt, heiress of the French cosmetic giant LOreal, whose personal fortune of US$31.3 billion earns her the title of richest woman in Europe.

Collectively, the women on the Wealth-X list control US$114.6 billion of personal wealth.

The oldest female billionaire on the list is Bettencourt at 92 years of age, while the youngest is 33-year-old Yang Huiyan, whose father, Yang Guoquiang, transferred 70% of his shares in Country Garden Group, a Chinese real estate development firm, to her before its 2007 IPO.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's three daughters who, along with their brothers, have been on the receiving end of the asset transfer that Slim reportedly began in 2003 emerged as the richest women in Latin America. Each of the three sisters is estimated to be worth US$6.3 billion.

Below are the names of the richest women in each region:

- Estimated Net Worth: $37.9

Christy Walton

Region: North America

- Estimated Net Worth: $31.3 billion

Liliane Bettencourt

Europe

- Estimated Net Worth: $14.8 billion

Gina Reinhart

Pacific**

- Estimated Net Worth: $6.3 billion each

Vanessa Paola Slim Hajj

Maria Soumaya Slim de Romero

Johanna Monique Slim Ayub

Latin America

- Estimated Net Worth: $6.3 billion

Yang Huiyan

Asia

- Estimated Net Worth: $4.2 billion

Shari Arison

Middle East

- Estimated Net Worth: $1.2 billion

Folorunsho Alakija

Africa

(**Pacific denotes Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands)