World's richest woman, man now live in Texas: Alice Walton reclaims title, Forbes says

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Texas billionaire and Walmart heiress Alice Walton has reclaimed the title of the richest woman in the world, Forbes reported this month.

Walton, daughter of the late Walmart founder Sam Walton, returned to the top of Forbes "World's Wealthiest Woman" list published Sept. 4.

At age 74, Walton has an estimated net worth of $89.1 billion. Last year, she briefly lost the position to Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, 71, the heiress of the French cosmetics company L'Oréal. Bettencourt Meyers was centibillionaire last year, meaning she had a net worth of at least $100 billion. According to the new Forbes list, she now has an estimated fortune of $88.4 billion.

The two have vied to be the richest woman in the past, including in 2019, when Bettencourt Meyers briefly dethroned Walton that year until Walton surpassed her in 2020.

In 2023, Bettencourt Meyers once again surpassed Walton, who dropped to the third-place spot due to American socialite Julia Koch, who inherited Koch, Inc. ownership stakes from her late husband David Koch. Koch was estimated to be worth $74 billion in the latest Forbes ranking.

Who is the richest woman in the world?

With a net worth of $89.1 billion, Alice Walton is once again the wealthiest woman in the world and the 18th wealthiest person in the world.

According to Forbes, the Arkansas-born philanthropist ranks behind brothers Jim and Rob Walton, who were worth $95.9 billion and $94 billion, respectively, as of Sept. 4. Collectively, Sam Walton's heirs own nearly 46% of Walmart.

Throughout her life, Walton has donated more than $5 billion to charitable foundations, including the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which she founded in November 2011 in Bentonville, Arkansas.

"Over the past several years, I've founded new organizations focused on the arts as well as health and well-being," Walton said in a 2021 news release announcing her retirement as the museum chair. "I'd like to focus more fully on my board chair roles at these entities."

LIST: World's richest women

Billionaires' net worths change every day due to fluctuations in the stock market. Forbes compiled this list of the wealthiest women in the world as of Sept. 3:

Who is the richest person in the world?

Fellow Texas billionaire Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, with an approximate net worth of $252 billion as of early this month. Musk is the founder of SpaceX and the Boring Co. and co-founder of PayPal and brain technology company Neuralink, among other companies. He also owns the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

People are also reading: Here's why banks are regretting loans to Elon Musk as X continues to sputter

LIST: World's richest men

Billionaires' net worths change every day due to fluctuations in the stock market. According to Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires List , here's where the world's wealthiest stand:

USA TODAY reporter Anthony Robledo contributed to this report.

This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: World's richest woman, man now live in Texas: Alice Walton reclaims title, Forbes says