Global Distribution of Women Billionaires in 2025: Country-by-Country Analysis

The concept of a billionaire is relatively modern, yet individuals with extraordinary wealth have long influenced the global economy, politics, and philanthropy. And, according to Forbes magazine’s real-time list of the world’s wealthiest people for 2025, there are more women billionaires than ever before. Still, women are barely 13.5% of the entire list. So, is the progress in closing the gender wealth gap significant, or do the systemic barriers to wealth-building persist for women in 2025?

The team at TradingPedia set out to unmask the global women billionaire elite and break down the statistics behind their fortunes. By compiling and analysing real-time data from Forbes, we have focused on the wealth gender gap and the countries that give women the best opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, and doing business, as well as those that give women access to venture capital and wealth-building networks.

When we looked at the Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List on April 15 of this year, we discovered 390 women with a wealth of $1 billion or more worldwide. Roughly 31%, or 120, of them are based in the United States, while the most common source of their wealth is real estate.

Global Overview

Following a few weeks of bearish markets and an April shock after U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement, the number of billionaires has shrunk a bit. In March, Forbes counted 3,028 billionaires based on their publicly available holdings in companies, real estate, and other assets. As of April 15, 2025, the number of these wealthy individuals dropped to 2,889, an insignificant percentage of the global population at first glance.

These people, however, are believed to own over one-third of the global wealth. Known as “status quo members”, billionaires exert control over all facets of daily life – they own the companies and mega corporations, they own the banks and the media; through their ownership, they control the economy, and can influence governments.

As of April 2025, the total wealth owned by billionaires reaches roughly $15.28 trillion, with $2.26 trillion of this massive amount owned by the top 15 individuals who have $100 billion or more (the so-called centibillionaires). These 15 ultra-wealthy men (after Alice Walton’s net worth dropped below $100 billion, this elite club has only men) are now worth more than the bottom 1,400 billionaires combined.

While the United States is home to 30% of all billionaires around the world, those based in the U.S. own 42.5% of the total billionaire wealth. China comes second with individuals there owning 9.8% of all wealth, followed by India (6.1%) and Germany (4.9%).

Billionaires In 2025 Breakdown By Gender

Calculations show that 86.5% of all billionaires are men, with Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg being the current top three richest people in the entire world, with a combined net worth of $753.2 billion. In comparison, 13.5% (or 390) of all billionaires are women.

The top ten richest women billionaires hold $477.7 billion or 24% of the total female billionaire net worth. Seven of them come from the United States, with the rest being from France, Switzerland, and India. The wealthiest women operate in a plethora of industries, from beauty to investments, consumer goods, and shipping, among others.

At the very top of the chart, making her the wealthiest current female billionaire in the world, is Alice Walton, a philanthropist and only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Her net worth is estimated at $99.3 billion.

A majority of billionaires hail from, unsurprisingly, the most economically developed areas of the world, namely North America, Europe, and Eastern Asia. The highest number of billionaires in 2025 was found in Asia, reaching over 1,015 individuals. It is closely followed by North America with 964 and Europe with 758 billionaires, whereas the gap down to the other regions of the world is significant.

When it comes to gender, 134 of North American billionaires are female, 129 billionaire women hail from Europe, and 105 women have established themselves as billionaires in Asia. Interestingly enough, there are no female billionaires in Africa, while the rest of the world seems to have a higher gender balance when it comes to the number of male and female billionaires, even compared to North America and Europe.

Most notably, there are only two exceptionally wealthy men in the Caribbean compared to one woman; 4 billionaire men per a wealthy woman in Australia and Oceania; and 6 men for every woman in South America. The ratio of male to female billionaires in North America is higher at 8 to 1; it is 6 to 1 in Europe, and in Asia, it is 9 to 1.

Below we have visualised the gender distribution of billionaires for the top 10 countries with the most billionaires, as well as the ratio between male and female billionaires per country. The United States takes the lead with a total number of 868 billionaires on its territory. The 120 women there represent 30.77% of all female billionaires, and the 748 wealthiest American men are 29.93% of all male billionaires around the world.

The U.S. Dominates Both the Male and Female Lists

With 868 billionaires as of April 15 2025, the United States is home to the largest billionaire population. So, it should not be a surprise to anyone that American women dominate the list of billionaires, with 120 female billionaires based in the U.S. Among them are Alice Walton, Julia Koch and Jacqueline Mars, the three wealthiest American women, all heiresses. These 120 women represent 30.77% of all female billionaires, and their combined wealth, $878 billion, accounts for 44.11% of all female billionaires’ wealth.

Female Billionaires In Europe

Nearly a third (33.08%) of all female billionaires around the world are based in Europe. A total of 129 are worth at least $1 billion, representing 17% of all billionaires in Europe. And where many of them have a flair for entrepreneurship and are self-made, a surprising number of female billionaires gained their wealth through inheritance from their fathers or grandfathers. Francoise Bettencourt, Europe’s richest woman, for example, inherited the cosmetics giant L’Oreal from her grandfather, Eugene Schueller.

Second only to the United States in the number of ultra-wealthy women, Germany establishes itself as Europe’s female billionaire hub. Around 11.7% of the wealthiest women on the planet and a staggering 35.66% of those in Europe hail from Germany, leading a variety of businesses in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices and technology, consumer goods and building materials. The typical wealthy German woman is often characterised by a reserved demeanour and inherited wealth, with fortunes passed down through generations of industrialist families.

With 5.62% of all female billionaires, Italy has 22 women on the billionaires’ list with a total net worth of $59.4 billion, placing the country as the second best in Europe. Curiously enough, the global fashion retailer Benetton (co-founded by Luciano Benetton and currently managed by his family members, Giuliana Benetton, Sabrina Benetton, and Barbara Benetton) is responsible for $7 billion of Italy’s national total net worth.

Surprisingly, when it comes to female billionaires, the United Kingdom lacks the numbers. The country has a grand total of 3 female members of the ultra-rich – Denise Coates, Maritsa Lazari, and Cristina Green. Coates, boasting a total net worth of $6.7 billion, is the founder, majority shareholder and joint chief executive of online gambling company bet365. Based on her wealth, it seems online gambling is the most profitable industry in the United Kingdom.

Alongside corporations, technological giants and world-renowned brands, some individuals have made their fortune in the business of entertainment. As of 2024, five music artists have reached billionaire status, according to Forbes’ billionaire list, and two of them are women.

The duo, namely Rihanna and Taylor Swift, has become a household names in the music industry. The hugely successful 35-year-old American musician Taylor Swift has a total net worth of $1.6 billion. Rihanna, known for her music in the early 2000s and for her skincare brand Fenty Beauty in recent years, boasts $1.4 billion. The wealthiest individual in the music industry, however, is Soviet/Ukrainian-born businessman and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, who owns Warner Music Group.

If we look at the wider entertainment industry, however, the wealthiest individual is Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, the chairman and CEO of Chinese internet and gaming giant Tencent Holdings. Other notable billionaires in the entertainment industry are founder and CEO of NetEase William Ding ($30.60 billion), Hollywood director Steven Spielberg ($5.30 billion), director and Star Wars creator George Lucas ($4.9 billion), Roblox CEO David Baszucki ($3.70 billion), and Austrian/American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.10).