Yelena Baturina, the powerful wife of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, is the one of the three richest women in the world with an estimated wealth of $2.9 billion, Forbes magazine reported.
Only 14 women in the world have amassed personal fortunes of $1 billion or more - just 2% of the 1,011 self-made billionaires on the Forbes list.
Half of the 14 female billionaires are from China, including the world's richest female entrepreneur, Wu Yajun. The chief executive of real estate developer Longfor Properties, she has amassed $3.9 billion.
Rosalia Mera, co-founder of Zara stores, was second with a fortune of $3.5 billion.
Baturina, who started out as a factory worker and now owns the real estate company Inteko, was placed third, ahead of Gap founder Doris Fisher and one of the most influential women in the world Oprah Winfrey, who rose to fame with her talk show. Both women have an estimated wealth of $2.4 billion.
According to the Center for Women's Business Research, only 20% of all businesses over $1 million are owned by women.
MOSCOW, June 15 (RIA Novosti)
