China has two-thirds of world's self-made women billionaires, meet the richest

Wu Yajun holds a degree in engineering, worked as a journalist before entering the real estate business. (Image credit: @robtfrank/Twitter)

China is home to two thirds of the self-made women billionaires in the world, followed by USA and UK, a Hurun report showed.

The Hurun Research Institute released the Hurun Richest Self-Made Women in the World 2022 on Wednesday, a list of self-made women billionaires across the world. This is the 12th year the list has been published.

Topping that list from China is Beijing-based property developer Wu Yajun. The 58-year-old has an estimated worth of $17 billion.

Yajun and her ex-husband Cai Kui cofounded Longfor in 1993 cofounder. The company operates in more than 100 cities under brands including Paradise Walk, Starry Street and Moco. Longfor reported revenue of $34.6 billion in 2021, stated Bloomberg.

8 of the 10 richest self-made women in the world are in China, according to Hurun Report. #1 is Wu Yajun of real-estate giant Longfor, with $17 billion. The top American is Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply, at $9B, ranked #6. pic.twitter.com/t2fgp38q4d

— Robert Frank (@robtfrank) March 29, 2022

According to Forbes, Yajun holds a degree in engineering, worked as a journalist before entering the real estate business.

Meanwhile, commenting on the report, Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, said, “There are 124 self-made women billionaires in the world today, double that of five years ago and 100 more than ten years ago.”

Speaking about the the most successful women entrepreneurs in China, he added, "The self-made women billionaires in the world tell the story of the most successful women in business and these stories start with China. Why does China have two thirds of the world's self-made women billionaires, more than double the rest of the world combined?"

"There are historical, political, social and economic dynamics at play here. One indicator can be seen from the Hurun China Private Companies SDG Readiness Index 2021, where Chinese businesses performed strongly in United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality.”

Meanwhile, from India, Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar strode into the top 10 list of self-made women billionaires in the world with a value of $7.6 billion. She is the newest entrant in the women billionaires list.

Nayar, 58, debuted at number 10 on the list – and the only Indian to do so. She toppled Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon to become India’s richest self-made billionaire woman. Nykaa, the woman-led unicorn offers beauty and fashion brands through its website, app, and several brick-and-mortar stores.