Richest person (female)

The richest woman in the world, according to Forbes, is Alice Walton (USA). As of 8 October 2024, Walton's estimated net worth stands at $89.9 bn (£68.6 bn). Walton's wealth is derived from her stake in the Walmart grocery chain.

Alice Walton was born in 1949 in Newport, Arkansas, where her father, Sam Walton, was running a franchised department store. When Alice was a few months old, Sam Walton opened Walton's Five-and-Dime in the town of Bentonville – the first store in what would become the Walmart retail empire. The first modern Walmart opened in 1962, in nearby Rogers, Arkansas, as the Wal-Mart Discount City – a large supermarket-style store with a focus on being a "one-stop shop" for the local community.

Walmart expanded quickly due to Sam Walton's strategic decision to avoid major cities – where competition was intense – and instead aim for small and mid-sized towns where existing retail options were limited. This was made possible by major investment in distribution and logistics, allowing this scattered portfolio of stores to be reliably supplied with fresh food and other stock.

Alice Walton attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, graduating with a BA in economics. During the 1970s and 1980s, Walton worked as an analyst at various firms involved in finance and banking, before founding her own investment firm, Llama Company, in 1988.

Along with her three brothers, Alice Walton inherited a controlling stake in Walmart Inc. on her father's death in 1992. While her brothers Rob and Jim have continued to serve on Walmart's board of directors (another brother, John, died in a plane crash in 2005), Alice turned away from business activities in the mid-1990s. She shuttered Llama Company in 1998 and devoted herself to philanthropic activities, such as Crystal Bridges Art Museum, which houses her personal art collection.