Youngest Women Billionaires In The World: Andresen Sisters Are Just In Their 20s

Katharina and Alexandra Andresen are the world's youngest women billionaires today. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2022, here's a look at how the Norwegian sisters got their fortunes.

Katharina, 27, and her 25-year-old sister Alexandra are each worth around $1.3 billion, according to Forbes.

The Andresen family has been a household name in Norway for over 100 years. They were primarily known for their tobacco brand, which they sold in 2005.

In 2016, then-19-year-old Alexandra became the world’s youngest billionaire, thanks to her stake in the family-owned investment company Ferd, then valued at $1.2 billion.

Alexandra and Katharina each inherited 42% of Ferd, which runs hedge funds, is an active investor on the Nordic stock exchange and has private equity investments.

Their father Johan still runs the company and controls 70% of the votes via a dual-class share structure.

Some analysts suspected that the inheritance was passed down to the sisters early for tax purposes.

Oyvind Bohren, a professor of finance at the Norwegian Business School in Oslo with special interest in family businesses, also pointed out to Forbes that in Norway, parents "more often consider their children their peers, and they find it more natural that their children participate more seriously at the top."

Today, Alexandra is a professional equestrian who has won multiple international dressage awards.

Between the two, Katharina is more likely to follow in their father’s footsteps running the family business, according to a South China Morning Post report.

The third-youngest female billionaire today is 34-year-old Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins, who has a net worth of $6.5 billion.

Canva, launched in 2013, was valued by private investors at $40 billion in September 2021. Like her husband Cliff Obrecht, Perkins owns an estimated 18% stake in the online design platform.

Singer, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman Rihanna is the fourth-youngest woman billionaire at 34 years old. She is estimated to be worth $1.7 billion thanks to her stake in her cosmetics company Fenty Beauty, according to Forbes.

Rihanna is followed by 35-year-old Ginia Rinehart, the youngest child of Australian mining mogul Gina Rinehart. Ginia has an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion.