Billionaire women are holding more wealth than ever before, but market shocks triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies have already begun to dent fortunes worldwide, according to a new analysis by financial research platform TradingPedia.
Citing Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List, the report found that the number of female billionaires globally hit a record 390 as of May 2025, with a combined net worth of more than $1.99 trillion. However, the gains come with increasing volatility. In just two days following Trump’s latest tariff announcement and the resulting stock market plunge, global billionaires saw a collective $536 billion wiped from their net worth.
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“Female billionaires now make up 13.5 percent of all billionaires worldwide,” TradingPedia analysts said. “Their presence has grown significantly, although recent events show how vulnerable this wealth remains to macroeconomic shocks.”
The United States remains home to the largest share of ultra-wealthy women, with 120 female billionaires valued at a combined $878 billion, roughly 30.8 percent of all female billionaires globally. Seven of the ten richest women in the world are American.
Germany ranks second with 46 women on the list, while China follows closely with 43. Europe as a whole accounts for 129 female billionaires, who collectively control about $598.4 billion, or 30.1 percent of the global female billionaire wealth pool.
Top Female Billionaire: Alice Walton
Alice Walton, the philanthropist daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, retains her position as the world’s richest woman, with an estimated net worth of $99.3 billion. Other prominent female billionaires hail from Germany, China, and Italy, which respectively host 47, 43, and 22 women with net worths of $1 billion or more.
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Across regions, the majority of female billionaires reside in North America, Europe, and Asia. In North America, women account for about 13.9 percent of the region’s billionaires (134 individuals), compared with 17 percent in Europe (129 women), and 10.3 percent in Asia (105 women).
Australia’s Female Billionaires: A small but growing force
While the global rise in female billionaires shows encouraging growth, Australia’s landscape remains more concentrated and traditional. Forbes’ 2024 list of Australia’s 50 richest reveals just nine women have made the cut, reflecting a persistent gender gap in wealth accumulation. Most of these women have inherited their fortunes from family businesses entrenched in mining, packaging, and related sectors. Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest citizen and executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, leads the pack with a net worth $29 billion, stemming largely from her family’s iron ore empire.
However, a shift is emerging. Melanie Perkins, co-founder of the wildly successful design software company Canva, ranks sixth on the list and stands out as a rare self-made billionaire. Since launching Canva in 2013, Perkins and her husband Cliff Obrecht have built a company valued at billions, disrupting traditional industries with innovative technology.
Collectively, Australia’s wealthiest tycoons saw their fortunes increase by $9 billion over the past year, bringing the total combined wealth to $222 billion. The female billionaires, while fewer in number, hold significant stakes in their respective industries, blending inherited wealth with entrepreneurial ventures. This mix signals slow but steady progress toward greater female representation in Australia’s highest echelons of wealth.
Billionaire count dips in April
Despite the record high in May, the female billionaire count dropped nearly 4 percent month-on-month. In April 2025, there were 16 fewer women on the Forbes list compared to March, reflecting the financial toll of recent global uncertainties.
TradingPedia’s findings are based on data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List as of April 15, 2025. The full report, including methodology and visualizations, is available on TradingPedia’s website. The organization encourages attribution and direct linking to their original work when citing these figures.
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