Indian among world's top 10 richest women

At number nine, Savitri Jindal, Non-Executive Chairperson of steel and power conglomerate O P Jindal group, is the first and only Indian to feature among world's 20 richest women enlisted by Forbes. Indu Jain of Times of India fell from the ranks after making the cut in previous years.

When Savitri's late husband O P Jindal died in a 2005 helicopter crash, the subsequent transfer of wealth made her India's richest woman. Her net worth today is $6 billion. The group has nearly 50 plants in India and abroad, including South American countries like Chile, Bolivia and Peru. The combined net worth of the twenty women featured in the list is a mammoth $160 billion. They represent industries like manufacturing, finance, real estate and commodities. The two top spots belong to Wal-Mart heiresses Christy Walton and Alice Walton with a net worth of $20 billion and $19.5 billion respectively. Forbes credited Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer for powering through the global recession.

It recorded $400 billion in annual sales last year alone. Last year's number one Liiane Bettencourt who is worth $15 billion is placed at number three this year. Daughter of Eugene Schueller, the founder of L'Oreal, has had a controlling stake of 27 percent in L'Oreal for the last four decades.

Last year she was worth $20 billion.Also in the list are, Susanne Klatten, Birgit Rausing, Jacqueline Mars, Anne Cox Chambers, Abigail Johnson and Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken. Some high profile female billionaires who didn't make it to the list include Oprah Winfrey, J K Rowling and former eBay Chief, Margaret Whitman.