The world's richest women - and how long it'll take them to catch up with Jeff Bezos

French author and L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is tipped to be the first female centi-billionaire, according to a new wealth analysis by RS Components. This would rank her alongside Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, who have fortunes exceeding $100bn.

According to the company's calculations, she will take approximately nine years to reach a $100bn fortune. Her current net worth is $53.9bn.

In second place is American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Bezos, who the company believes will hit the milestone in 16 years' time, at 65 years old.

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Bezos has a $38.3bn stake in Amazon following her split from the company's founder, Jeff Bezos. It is a 4% stake, but it is enough to put her at 22^nd place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people, it was reported in July.

Wealth analysis is not RS Components' core function. The global components and tools supplier publishes a wide-ranging selection of topics under the banner "Did you know?" and, among other ethical issues, has expressed concern over the gender income gap.

"Despite progress being made across industries, the gender gap is still a prominent issue when it comes to business and […] earning potential," the company said upon release of the data, which can be examined in full here.

Four of the world’s wealthiest women are not likely to reach $100bn until they are over 100 years old, with executive and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs predicted to reach this milestone at 110 years of age, RS Components noted. Apart from her social impact organisation Emerson Collective, Jobs has a $20bn fortune from the stakes in Apple and Disney that she inherited from her late husband, Steve Jobs.

Chinese property developer Yang Huiyan is the youngest woman on the list at 38 years old, and, as majority shareholder of Country Garden Holdings, is likely to join the cent-billion club when she’s 62 years old.

Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart has the lowest net worth on the list, but according to the calculations, is expected to make the $100bn mark in 20 years.

Also on the list is heiress and investor Jacqueline Mars, with a current net worth of $38.8bn, expected to reach $100bn at 108 years old.