South Africa-born Elon Musk is the runaway richest man in the world.
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires, the 54-year-old Musk, at the time of publishing, boasts a fortune of $788.7 billion.
But who holds the title of richest woman?
The answer is Alice Walton who is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
Alice Walton, 76, is the 13th-richest person in the world with a net worth of $137.4 billion.
Curating art
She has focused on curating art, rather than working for Walmart like her brothers, Rob and Jim.
In 2011, she opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Crystal Bridges features works from the likes of Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Mark Rothko.
In 2022, the holistic health institute Walton founded in Bentonville a year earlier was renamed the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
Rob Walton ($149.4 billion) and Jim Walton ($146.7 billion) are the ninth and 10th, respectively, richest people is the world.
A fourth sibling, John, was killed in an aircraft crash in 2005. He was survived by his wife Christy and their son Lukas.
Christy Walton, 77, is worth a reported $24.8 billion and is the 107th richest person in the world, while 39-year-old Lukas is worth $50 billion and lies 36th in the Forbes Real Time Billionaire Index.
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Top 10 richest women in the world
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Age |
| 1 | Alice Walton | $137.4 billion | 76 |
| 2 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | $92.1 billion | 72 |
| 3 | Julia Koch & family | $81.2 billion | 64 |
| 4 | Jacqueline Mars | $46.6 billion | 86 |
| 5 | Iris Fontbona & family | $46.5 billion | 83 |
| 6 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $44.1 billion | 81 |
| 7 | Abigail Johnson | $40.4 billion | 64 |
| 8 | Savitri Jindal & family | $38.9 billion | 75 |
| 9 | Miriam Adelson & family | $36.4 billion | 80 |
| 10 | Lyndal Stephens Greth & family | $33.5 billion | 51 |
For interest’s sake, Larry Ellison at 81 years of age is the oldest member of the Top 10 list.
By contrast, the oldest person on the woman’s Top 10 list is 86-year-old Jacqueline Mars.
The average age of those in the Top 10 richest overall is 62.5, while the average age of the Top 10 woman’s list is considerably higher at 73.2.
The figures are updated in real time.
Top 10 richest people in the world
Correct as of 4 May 2026
