In 2017, after the death of Liliane Bettencourt, it was an American who became the richest woman in the world. His name: Alice Walton. Unknown to the general public, this philanthropist invests colossal sums in art and public health every year.
With a fortune today estimated at more than $ 105 billion, Alice Walton is definitely the richest woman in the world. A title she won in 2017, after the death of Liliane Bettencourt, French heiress of the L’Oréal group.
How did Alice Walton become the richest woman in the world?
At 75, Alice Walton is therefore the richest woman on the planet. Besides, in 2025, the magazine Forbes Histed it in 13th position in the global ranking of billionaires, just behind much more known names, such as Elon Musk, Bernard Arnaud or Jeff Bezos. But how did Alice Walton become so rich? It is in fact the heiress of the largest distribution group in the world, founded in 1962 in the United States: Walmart.
The only daughter of a siblings also made up of three boys – Rob, Jim and John -, she inherited a part of her father’s fortune, Sam Walton, when she died in 1992. A nest office that she knew how to make fruit over time, and with intelligent investments, especially in the art and public health of her country.
Alice Walton: What do we know about her private life?
Huge philanthropic, and this from a very young age, she has been investing massively in art in the United States, especially in Texas, where she has been residing for many years. In 2011, for example, she offered the United States a museum worthy of the greatest: the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Thanks to a completely free entry, he intends to make art accessible to the greatest number. Moreover, in continuity, Alice Walton set up her own foundation, the Art Bridges Foundation, which financially supports American art exhibitions.
The one who is also passionate about horse riding, and who has long owned a ranch, also invests in the public health of her country. At the end of 2025, it will reveal one of its most ambitious projects, the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, located not loin of its museum, which will form conventional doctors. On the private side, we know very little about Alice Walton. Married twice, and divorced so many times, she has never had any children. We do not know what will happen from his colossal fortune to his death!
