Forbes’ 50 Richest Self-Made Women on Earth in 2025: Indian Women Falguni  Nayar & Kiran-Mazumdar Shaw Ranked 31st and 32nd 

Forbes, an American global media company has released the latest edition of Forbes’ 50 Richest Self-Made Women on Earth in 2025 in June 2025. According to the list, only two Indian women: Falguni Nayar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nykaa, with an estimated net worth of USD 3.4 billion, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of biopharmaceutical company Biocon India Private Limited, with an estimated net worth of USD 3.3 billion, secured the 31st and 32nd positions respectively.

• Rafaela Aponte-Diamant (Switzerland), co-founder of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), with a total worth of USD 38.8 billion, topped the list globally.
• She is followed by Diane Hendricks (from the United States of America, USA), who is the co-founder of ABC Supply, with an estimated net worth of USD 22.3 billion; and Zhong Huijan (from China), founder of Hanosh Pharmaceuticals, with an estimated net worth of USD 15.6 billion, ranked at 2nd and 3rd position, respectively.

About Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women in 2025:

i.The list featured world’s 50 richest self-made women from 13 countries and 4 continents.

ii.It has covered their fortunes across 14 different industries including technology, retail, real estate, and manufacturing, among others.

iii.Forbes revealed that self-made women now account 3.5% of the global billionaire population, marking an increase of 50% over 2017.

iv.The combined net worth of 50 self-made women featured on the list stands at   approximately USD 276 billion, with an average net worth of USD 5.5 billion per individual, an increase of USD 158 billion since 2017.

v.As per the Forbes report, 24 women which accounts for nearly 50% of the women featured on the list, hail from Asia-Pacific region; followed by North America (20) and Europe (6).

World’s Top 5 Richest Self-Made Women in 2025:

Key Findings:

i.Australia’s Melanie Perkins (38 years old) who co-founded Canva, a popular design software company in 2013, has become the youngest women entrepreneur to be featured on the list.

ii.Technology sector topped among the sectors covered by the list as 14 women generated their fortunes in this field only.

• The richest self-made among this group is Zhou Qunfei, chairman of Hunan-based Lens Technology, a maker of touch screens whose customers include Apple, Samsung and Tesla, ranked at 4th spot, with an estimated net worth of USD 10 billion.

iii.Denise Coates (ranked at 5th spot), co-founder and CEO of Bet365, one of the largest global online gambling company; Judy Faulker (ranked at 6th spot), founder of Epic Systems, a leading healthcare software company; Wang Laichun (ranked at 7th spot), co-founder and chairperson of Luxshare-ICT.

iv.Ranked 8th is Marian Ilitch and family from the USA, with a net worth of USD6.9 billion, known for founding the Little Caesars Pizza chain. Ling Tang of Canada, involved in marketing software and mobile games, is ranked 9th with a net worth of USD 6.6 billion. Lynda Resnick, an agriculture magnate from the USA, holds the 10th spot with a net worth of USD 6.3 billion.

v.China and Hong Kong, together account for 18 women featured on the list, emerged as the most represented region/country; followed by the USA (16).

Note: The 50 richest self-made men in the world have a combined wealth of USD 3.8 trillion, 14 times more than the top 50 self-made women. Men also hold 96% of the world’s self-made billionaire wealth, while women account for just 4%. Globally, there are 1,920 male self-made billionaires.

About Forbes:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Sherry Phillips 
Headquarters- New Jersey, the United States of America (USA)
Established- 1917