The World’s Self-Made Female Billionaires Top 124

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The world has 124 self-made female billionaires, approximately two-thirds from China, according to a report released Tuesday. 

The total number of self-made female billionaires was down from 130 recorded a year ago, and their combined wealth decreased 23% year over year to US$370 billion, according to the report.

China has the largest share of self-made female billionaires, accounting for two thirds of the total, with 78. The U.S. and U.K. came second and third, with 25 and 5, respectively. 

“Japan, Germany, France, Canada, and S. Korea are the world’s largest economies without a single self-made woman billionaire,”
Rupert Hoogewerf,
Hurun’s chairman and chief researcher, said in the report. “The 124 known self-made women billionaires come from just 16 countries, meaning that 180-plus countries still do not have a single one.” 

The top three self-made female billionaires are all Chinese, including property developer
Wu Yajun,
with US$17 billion; apparel fiber producer
Fan Hongwei,
with US$13 billion; and phone accessory assembler
Wang Lichun,
with US$11 billion.

Hurun’s rankings are based on market data as of Jan. 14. 

Only one out of six of the world’s 556 female billionaires made their fortunes on their own and not through inheritance; 80% of self-made women billionaires made their money from listed companies, according to the report.

Healthcare and software services, with 13 each, were the primary industries of the female billionaires. Consumer goods, retail, and energy were the other top sources of their wealth, according to the report.

The youngest self-made female billionaire was
Whitney Wolfe Herd,
32. The founder of the dating app Bumble made the list with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion.

Reality TV personality KimKardashian, 41, was estimated to be worth US$2 billion on the back of her beauty brand KKW Beauty. Barbadian singer Rihanna, 34, of Fenty Beauty, joined the list for the first time with US$1 billion.