A study performed by UBS and PricewaterhourseCoopers finds the world’s female billionaire population has grown 660% over the past two decades. A record 145 women around the world are now billionaires, compared to just 22 in 1995. Women are building their wealth in real estate, industrials and health. The report states, “Women are wielding greater influence, driving family wealth creation, promoting firm and family governance, and championing philanthropy.” Eighty percent of the world’s female billionaires are in the U.S. and Europe, but most have inherited their riches. New wealth creation is increasingly shifting to Asia, where more than half of the women billionaires are first-generation entrepreneurs.
Going forward, more women are expected to join the billionaire club, as “daughters [are] groomed to take an active role in leading the family and its business.” Overall, the world’s wealthiest are getting richer much faster than the global economy. In the past two decades, billionaires’ wealth has increased eightfold to $5.4 trillion in 2014, while global GDP has tripled to over $77 trillion. The report is based on PwC data on more than 1,300 billionaires around the globe, along with many interviews with the world’s elite.