More billionaires have made it onto the 2025 World's Billionaires List than ever before, but few appear higher on the list than Fort Worth billionaire Alice Walton. The Walmart heiress is the wealthiest woman in the world in 2025, Forbes says.

Walton knocked French L’Oreal Beauty heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyersdown to second place late last year and retains her spot on top for 2025. Walton is the 15th richest person on the planet.

Forbes declared Walton's net worth at $101 billion, which is $28.7 billion more than her 2024 net worth of $72.3 billion. She is now one of 15 individuals to claim 12-figure fortunes, also known as the "$100 Billion Club."

Walton, 74, is the only daughter of late Walmart founder Sam Walton; the Waltons collectively are the world's richest family.

"Walton ranks as the 15th richest person in the world, a few spots behind her brothers Rob Walton, 80, and Jim Walton, 76, who are worth $110 billion and $109 billion, respectively," Forbes says.

Siblings and Walmart heirs Rob, Alice, and Jim Walton belong to the world's richest family. Photo by Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images

While she devotes most of her time and energy now to her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in her native Bentonville, Arkansas, Forbes still lists her residence as Fort Worth.

"Last August, Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation reported that it had gifted another $249 million to help fund a new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville that will 'enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles,'" Forbes wrote in a profile about Walton.

Walton has donated nearly $6 billion to five family charitable foundations over the last decade, Forbes says, demonstrating a clear pursuit for a legacy different from her siblings, Rob and Jim, who serve on the Walmart board of directors.

Other Fort Worth-area billionaires that made Forbes 2025 list of the world's richest include:

• Private equity investor Robert Bass: tied for No. 605 with an estimated net worth of $5.8 billion, up from $5.3 billion in 2024
• Airplane leasing industry creator Steven Udvar-Hazy: tied for No. 823, $4.4 billion, up from $4.2 billion (based in Westlake)
• Oil heir and investor Sid Bass: tied for No. 1015, $3.6 billion, down from $3.8 billion
• Oil heir and historical preservationist Edward Bass: tied for No. 1462, $2.5 billion, flat from 2024
• Oil heir and cattle ranch owner Lee Bass: tied for No. 1626, $2.2 billion, flat from 2024
• Real estate and hospitality honcho John Goff: tied for No. 1850, $1.9 billion, flat from 2024
• Goosehead Insurance cofounders Mark and Robyn Jones: tied for No. 2623, $1.2 billion, up from $1 billion

John Goff (left, with wife Cami Goff) and Ed Bass (right, with wife Sasha Bass) made the Forbes billionaires list. Photo by Joyce Marshall

Missing from the 2025 list is homebuilder D.R. Horton founder Donald R. Horton, who died in May 2024 at age 74. His widow Marty and his sons Reagan and Ryan Horton inherited shares in the family’s more than 10 percent stake in the business, Forbes says. The younger Hortons tied for No. 1689 on the billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion each. His wife ranked No. 2933 on the list with a net worth of $1 billion.

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin billionaire Elon Musk topped Forbes list as the world's richest person in 2025. The Tesla and SpaceX founder knocked French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault down to second place this year.

Forbes declared Musk the first person to reach the $300 billion status. His current net worth stands at $342 billion, which is a staggering $147 billion more than his 2024 net worth.

"It’s another record-breaking year for the world’s richest people, despite financial uncertainty for many and geopolitical tensions on the rise," said Forbes senior editor of wealth Chase Peterson-Withorn. "And, from Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick and the other billionaires taking over the U.S. government, they’re growing more and more powerful."