American Business Women's Day: The Rise of Female Billionaires by 268% in the Past Decade

Staff Report

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

A new study by DailyFX has analyzed the top billionaires in the world to explore how women are building their wealth in comparison to men.

Times are gradually (finally) changing - seeing more women enter the top 1% of global earners. On American Business Women's Day, 11.8% of the world's billionaires are now women, meaning more doors are opening for female entrepreneurs than ever before. So, which female billionaires are going to inspire you today?

There are now more female billionaires than ever before

Women currently account for $1.54 trillion in combined assets, proving how much more accessible wealth has become for them. Although this number does fluctuate, the growth has been significant. This year alone the number of female billionaires increased from 241 to 328. With a 268% increase since 2010, it doesn’t look like it will slow down any time soon.

The Race to a Billion: Men Versus Women

The top female billionaires under 30

Rank

Name

Sex

Net Worth (Billions)

Age

Country

Source

Industry

1

Evan Spiegel

Male

$11.1

30

United States

Snapchat

Technology

2

Sam Bankman-Fried

Male

$8.7

29

United States

Cryptocurrency

Finance & Investments

3

Gustav Magnar Witzoe

Male

$4.4

27

Norway

Fish farming

Food & Beverage

4

Kevin David Lehmann

Male

$3.3

18

Germany

Drugstore

Fashion & Retail

5

John Collison

Male

$3.2

30

Ireland

Payments software

Technology

6

Pedro de Godoy Bueno

Male

$3

30

Brazil

Health insurance

Healthcare

7

Austin Russell

Male

$2.4

26

United States

Sensors

Automotive

8

Jonathan Kwok

Male

$2.4

29

Hong Kong

Real estate

Real estate

9

Andy Tang

Male

$2

28

United States

Food delivery app

Technology

10

Stanley Tang

Male

$2

28

United States

Food delivery app

Technology

11

Nick Molnar

Male

$1.8

30

Australia

Fintech

Finance & Investments

12

Lisa Draexlmaier

Female

$1.6

30

Germany

Autoparts

Automotive

13

Wang Zelong

Male

$1.5

24

China

Chemicals

Metals & Mining

14

Alexandra Andresen

Female

$1.4

24

Norway

Investments

Diversified

15

Katharina Andresen

Female

$1.4

25

Norway

Investments

Diversified

Tech and investing help women become billionaires at a faster rate

The tech revolution and investing have allowed millennials to become billionaires faster than older generations, showing that newer ways of innovation are helping women shatter glass ceilings and become billionaires at a faster rate than ever before.

Laurene Powell inherited billions of dollars of stock in Apple and Disney from her late husband, Steve Jobs, and currently ranks in the top 100 richest people, with a real-time net worth of $19.1 billion. Although she inherited her money she has been putting it to work through investments on her own - she recently made a hybrid investment, through Emerson Collective the social impact and philanthropic firm she founded in 2004. Powell has reached billionaire status within this sector at the age of 57, five years younger than the average age.

From Oprah to Rihanna, female entertainers are some of the richest self-made women

Rihanna hit the headlines recently after becoming a billionaire at the age of 33 - making her the wealthiest female singer in the world. While hit songs such as ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Rude Boy’ made her a household name in the music industry, the bulk of her fortune came from her Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand and her lingerie company, Savage x Fenty. Despite facing various controversies throughout her career, Rihanna maintained the role of a female icon and is now worth $1.7 billion. 

Oprah Winfrey also made history by becoming the first black female billionaire at the age of 49 in 2003. From her daytime talk show, her books deals, to being nominated for an oscar - Winfrey has climbed her way to the top of the industry and now has a net worth of $3 Billion.

For the full study, please click here.