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Richest woman in the world makes history with unbelievable fortune

Home> News

Published 09:17 29 Dec 2023 GMT

Richest woman in the world makes history with unbelievable fortune

She was already incredibly rich but now her fortune is reaching new heights

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

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The richest woman in the world has passed a milestone never before crossed by any other woman.

In case you didn't know the richest woman in the world is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugène Schueller.

Holding a 33 percent stake in the family business, it turns out hanging onto that has been the key to a life of fortune and luxury for the 70-year-old.

Since everyone keeps buying their shampoos and other products, it's made her fortune increase further, and she inherited her mother's fortune when she died in 2017 as well.

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At the beginning of this year her personal net worth was somewhere in the region of $80 billion (£62 billion), but by November it had grown to $92.1 billion (£72 billion) and now it's risen to record breaking heights.

It's easy to smile when you're the richest woman in the world.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has since seen her fortune hit a whopping $100 billion (£78 billion).

That puts her at number 12 on the overall rich list and the top woman there, while it's also the first time ever a woman's fortune has hit the $100 billion milestone.

If her fortune keeps growing then she could rise higher up the list, though she'd have to make quite a lot of money to reach the very top where Elon Musk sits.

Immediately above Bettencourt Meyers in 11th place is Mexican businessman Carlos Slim on $104 billion (£81 billion), while the next two places are occupied by Sergey Brin and Warren Buffet both on $120 billion (£94 billion).

Catching up to this lot might be a tall order, however, as while the L'Oreal heiress has built up one hell of a fortune which is growing plenty, so too is everyone else's net worth.

Being the L'Oreal heiress means you're basically guaranteed never to have a bad hair day.
NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images

Part of the reason Bettencourt Meyers has done so well this year is because sales of L'Oreal have surged in popularity.

For whatever reason their sales have grown quite significantly, which means a bigger pile of cash coming the way of the people who actually own the business.

The next richest woman in the world behind her is Walmart heiress Alice Walton, whose net worth is estimated to be $70 billion (£55 billion).

She's at number 19 on the rich list, immediately behind family members Jim and Rob Walton.

It turns out one of the best ways to become incredibly wealthy is to have a relative set up one of the world's most successful businesses and for you to inherit that cash cow.

Who knew?

Featured Image Credit: NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP/Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Topics: Money, Celebrity Net Worth

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

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@MrJoeHarker

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