India is home to the fifth highest number of female billionaires in the world. That’s according to a new International Women’s Day study from City Index, who scraped Forbes’ live billionaire tracker to find the country that is home to the most female billionaires.
According to City Index, the United States has the highest number of female billionaires in the world with 92 in total, double that of China in second place with 46. While the US might be home to some of the highest profile male billionaires, 4 out of the 5 richest women in the world, including Walmart heiress Alice Walton, also hail from the states.
Germany takes third place with 32 female billionaires, just over a third than that of the US. These include German automotive empire heiress Susanne Klatten ($27.58bn), and the family of Francine von Finck ($8.27 bn), daughter of late billionaire businessman August von Finck Jr.
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In fourth place, the second European country in the top ranking, Italy, is home to 16 female billionaires, half that of nearby Germany. Campari heiress Alessandra Garavoglia ($3.44bn) and iconic designer Miuccia Prada ($5.24bn) head up the list of Italian female billionaires, a testament to the country’s love of food and fashion.
Australia, India and Hong Kong tie in fifth place, with each country home to nine female billionaires. While each country represents less than a tenth of the number of female billionaires in the US, their self-made billionaires shine.
The world’s richest self-made woman, Hong Kong tech mogul Zhou Qunfei, boasts a net worth of $6.6 billion, while Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins (net worth $3.62bn) hails from Perth in Australia. Indian businesswoman and politician Savitri Jindal and her family boast a wealth of $16.96 billion, making her the richest woman in India.
The USA dominates the ranking of the individuals with the highest net worth, with 80% of the female billionaires with the highest net worth hailing from America. As the richest woman in the world and Vice Chairman of L’Oréal, French-born Françoise Bettencourt Meyers takes the top spot with a wealth of $81.49 billion.
New York-based socialite Julia Koch ($59.65bn) and Walmart inheritor Alice Walton ($60.16bn) are almost tied in third and second places, respectively, with Walton taking the lead with an extra $510,000,000. Mars heiress Jacqueline Mars comes in fourth place with a cool fortune of $38.01 billion, still a 37% decrease from the wealth of Alice Walton and less than half the wealth of Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.