The Forbes 2019 Billionaires List reveals who the world’s richest people are but also how the wealth of the superrich is distributed among the sexes. With the Bezos divorce finalized on Friday, an addition will have to be made to the list of the world’s richest women: MacKenzie Bezos, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was awarded US$38.3 billion in the settlement, making her the world’s third-richest women in an instant. The 48-year-old is a Princeton graduate, an award-winning novelist and currently the executive director of the anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution.

According to the list, there are only 12 women among the 100 wealthiest people on the planet and all of them have made their fortune by inheritance (or divorce) from a wealthy relative or husband. French L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers tops the list this year, taking the lead from last year’s richest woman, Walmart heiress Alice Walton. The richest female self-made billionaire of 2019 comes in at rank 149 of The Billionaire’s List. Wu Yajun of Beijing, China, made her fortune by cofounding Hong Kong-listed real estate company Longfor Properties with their then-husband. Since the divorce, she has been chairing the company by herself. Overall, women from China and Hong Kong have a big presence in the self-made billionaires' list. Hong Kong native Rita Tong Liu also made it big by managing real estate in her notoriously expensive home city, while Chan Laiwa, also of Beijing, gathered her fortune by doing the same in hers.

 
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