Top most influential politicians in the world. Lords of the world. Putin lost his leadership in the Forbes ranking of the most influential people
If you are sure that you live modestly, do not own a business, are not involved in politics, and therefore the affairs of the powerful do not concern you, you are mistaken. There are always those on whom what happens in the world directly or indirectly depends.
We will talk about them - the most influential people of our time. Regular lists with them are compiled by Times and Forbes - perhaps the most authoritative publications in the United States. We will look only at the “top” and talk about the TOP 10 of the current list.
One of the few political leaders in India who enjoys huge support from the people. A clear confirmation of this is his re-election for a fourth term in a row. However, both in the country and abroad, many consider him a controversial person. On the one hand, he is a charismatic “millionaire from the slums”, a winner of UN and UNESCO awards, and on the other hand, he is one of the indirect culprits of the result of inter-religious clashes in Gujarat among Indian Muslims (more than a thousand people died then). The youngest influencer on this list was born in 1984 and has since managed to become the owner of one of the most valuable companies and the largest social network. The latter's history began with a modest website for Harvard students, and grew to become one of the five most visited online sites in the world. Mark Zuckerberg is a record holder in many respects. For example, he managed to become the youngest billionaire in history and one of the richest Americans. Like Bill Gates, he donates the lion's share of his fortune to charity - this is how he plans to dispose of 99% of Facebook shares. 
It is not surprising that he was included in the list of the most influential people of our time - the famous saying says that “who owns the information, owns the world.” But it is Larry Page who directly influences what information we receive every day using the global Network.
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and philanthropist
This is one of those people thanks to whom computers became compact, humane (from the point of view of development) and accessible. For several years in a row, he topped the ranking of the world's richest people, and today, having retired from business, he focused his efforts on developing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 
In the latter, Bill Gates succeeded no less than in the computer field: Bill personally holds the record for the amount of funds donated to charity. For example, he sent 38% of his Microsoft shares to an unknown recipient. This donation could easily qualify as the largest since the beginning of the 21st century.
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church
His name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio and he is the 266th Pope. Over the past 1,200 years, he became the first non-European (born in Buenos Aires) to occupy this honorary chair. Despite the fact that in many Western countries the state is separated from religion, the Catholic faith continues to play an important role in the lives of ordinary residents, and both politicians and businessmen listen to the opinion of the head of the church. Pope Francis himself is a modest man with strong principles. In 2013, the year of his election, Time magazine named him “Person of the Year.” 
Janet Yellen, head of the US Federal Reserve
She has headed the US Federal Reserve since 2014 and is the first woman to hold this post. To understand the importance of this government unit, it is necessary to know that it functions as the central bank of the country. Jeannette Yellen is not the only one in her family to receive a high title: her husband is a Nobel Prize laureate in economics, and she herself holds a Ph.D. 
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
It is difficult to underestimate the influence of China on the global economy, so it is not surprising that the leader of this country is included in the list of the most influential people. What sets Xi Jinping apart from other political figures is his principled position on corruption, as well as his openness to reform. For the first time he was included in the hundred most influential people in the world (according to the Forbes ranking) back in 2009. 
Merkel has repeatedly become a leader in ratings of the most influential female politicians, has numerous awards and was named “Woman of the Year” by the authoritative British publication Financial Times.
Donald Trump, US President
Donald Trump managed to take the presidency relatively recently, but even before this event he was well known in the world for his political and commercial activities. He is a versatile man, he is not only involved in business (he is the president of a construction conglomerate, the owner of a chain of gambling establishments and hotel complexes), but also worked as a TV presenter, regularly appearing at the head of it four times in a row. Apparently, every year the influence on world politics is only increasing. Forbes writes that “Putin continues to get what he wants.” 
Indeed, he not only once again occupies the presidential chair in a country that consistently holds first place in the world in terms of territory and ninth in population, but also participates in foreign policy, and his actions are not always perceived unambiguously. By the way, Vladimir Putin is the only representative from Russia in our ranking.
The personal life of public politicians and media figures always attracts close attention from society and the press. Therefore, many of them try to protect themselves and their families from journalists and strictly limit information about this. The editors of the site invite you to read about the family life of Vladimir Putin.
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Want to know who the most influential people in the world are in 2015? The Forbes rating, a well-known financial analytical magazine, will help you find the answer.
These people have a huge influence on world politics, economics and public life. Our well-being and safety depend on the decisions they make. Let's talk today about the most influential people of 2015.
In tenth place on the list of the most authoritative people on the planet according to Forbes is one of the founders of Google, who is responsible for major transactions there. While studying at the university, he met Sergei Brin. In 1998, they launched the world famous search engine Google. Page is only 42 years old, but he is already one of the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet.
9th place is taken by the owner of the cosmetics company L'Oreal. Old age did not prevent her from becoming an influential woman in the world. Her fortune is estimated at $45 billion. At the age of five, Liliana was left without a mother and became very close to her father. While still a teenager, she began working for the company as an apprentice. After the death of her father, Bettencourt became the sole owner of the L'Oreal cosmetics empire. Lilian is involved in charity work and supports various cultural and medical projects. Several major scandals are associated with her name. She was suspected of tax evasion and bribes to major political figures in France. In addition, Bettencourt is known for her litigation with heirs.
8th place in the list of the most influential people is Christine Lagarde. She has been the Managing Director of the IMF since 2011. This amazing woman has made a brilliant career in the world of men. In her youth, she was seriously involved in sports and joined the national synchronized swimming team. She graduated from two universities and worked as an attorney for more than 25 years at the largest law firm in the world, Baker and McKenzie, and then became the first woman to head it. Under her leadership, the company doubled its profits in a year, and Lagarde became one of the most prominent businesswomen in Europe. In 2011, she became France's economy minister and the first woman to hold this position. Christine Lagarde, according to Forbes magazine, is one of the most influential politicians in the world.
– perhaps not a single rating on a financial topic can do without it. One of the richest people on the planet cannot help but wield enormous influence. 81 billion dollars - the fortune of one of the founders of Microsoft Corporation is estimated at such an astronomical amount. In 2013, Forbes magazine compiled a list of people in the world who spent the most on charity. Bill Gates and his wife took first place. 25 billion dollars - that’s how much they spent on charity and philanthropy. Gates is one of the founders of the Giving Pledge, which encourages the world's wealthy to give half of their wealth to charity. He himself intends to give at least $100 billion to good causes for the rest of his life. Bill Gates, the richest and most influential person on the planet, is in 7th place in the ranking.
He holds the post of Chairman of the European Central Bank and has to act in very difficult conditions. He tirelessly calls for unpopular but necessary reforms in the eurozone to survive.
In 5th position – . She has more than once been one of the most authoritative politicians. In 2005, she made history by becoming the first woman to serve as Federal Chancellor of Germany. Merkel is a physicist by education. At the end of the 1980s, she decided to actively engage in politics. By joining the Christian Democratic Union, Merkel became one of the deputies of the Bundestag. From the beginning of the 1990s, she served as Minister of Women's Affairs, then became Minister of Environment. In 2000, she was elected chairman of the Christian Democratic Union party and was re-elected to this position several times. Having become Federal Chancellor, she achieved enormous popularity within a year - Merkel’s policies were supported by more than 80% of Germans. Her rise to power marked a rapprochement with Washington. At the same time, the German government continued to maintain its partnership until the crisis in relations in 2014. Despite the difficult situation of the European economy, in 2013 Angela Merkel was re-elected as Chancellor of Germany for the third time.
He turned out to be fourth on the list of the most authoritative people in the world. While still a cardinal, he showed his modesty and unpretentiousness. He refused a personal car and the luxury apartments of the archbishop, preferring to live in a small apartment and travel by public transport. In 2013, he was elected as the next pope. Actively involved in the modernization of the Roman Catholic Church. Initially, the flock was shocked by his statement that God is not a magician. The pontiff went down in history as the pope who officially recognized the Big Bang theory and agreed with Darwin on questions of evolution. For this and his keen attention to pressing issues such as gender inequality and poverty, Pontiff Francis is loved, respected and considered one of the most authoritative people on the planet.
Third place in the list of the most authoritative people on Earth belongs to the leader. His popularity in the country is incredibly high. He continues the policy of turning China into a superpower and maintains partnerships with Western and Asian countries, as well as with Russia.
On the second line of the Forbes rating is. The American leader has repeatedly topped the list of the most authoritative politicians, but has recently lost his position. He is accused of having all the levers of influence in his hands but not using them.
In 1st place are the most authoritative and influential people in the world. Last year, Forbes also recognized the Russian leader as the most powerful politician on the planet. In April of this year, Time magazine summed up the results of the reader's vote. It was necessary to choose the most influential people who changed the world for the better or for the worse during the year. And the Russian President was confidently in the lead in this ranking. This result is the result of his activities. Despite the difficult situation in which the country finds itself, sanctions and partial political isolation, people's trust in the president is higher than ever. The fact that Putin can afford to pursue policies without looking at the opinions of other countries also plays a role.
The world's population is almost 7.1 billion people. In this article we will highlight only 10 of them who have the greatest influence in the world (at the time of publication). One way or another, they all ended up on Forbes lists as some of the most influential people in the world.
Let's discard the theory of secret societies, unknown "puppeteers", let's see which of the officials - government leaders, corporate executives, financiers and philanthropists really rule the world?
*The ages and positions of all persons are indicated at the time of publication of the material.
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David Cameron. Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Age: 48 years old.
David Cameron has headed the UK Parliament since 2010. In fact, he is the first person of the state.
Recently, two poles of power have emerged in a united Europe, the first is, of course, Germany with its new iron lady Angela Merkel, the second is Great Britain, which does not want to dance to Germany’s tune at all.
Cameron has already rejected Germany's call for an increase in the EU budget and has threatened to veto it if such legislation is passed. And it is quite possible that Cameron would have been a more vibrant and influential player on the world stage if he had not had to deal with a host of problems at home, such as a persistent economic decline, a dissatisfied electorate, and problems within his own party.
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Janet Yellen. Chairman of the US Federal Reserve.
Age: 68 years old.
The Federal Reserve System is an independent US agency that serves as the country's central bank. It can only submit to the US Congress, but most of its actions still remain under its own control. The Fed is a rather subtle and influential organization that can directly influence the entire US financial system, and indirectly the entire world economy as a whole.
The Chairman of the Federal Reserve has broad powers in the organization under his control, which means he has great influence on the economy of the United States and the rest of the world. Janet Yellen has headed the US Federal Reserve since February 2014 and has already managed to solve several important problems while sitting in the chair.
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Pope Francis. Head of the Catholic Church.
Age: 78 years old.
According to the doctrine of papal sovereignty, the pope has "supreme, complete, unquestioned and universal power" over the souls of 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.
People turn to the pope to help solve many pressing problems of Catholics, such as birth control, attitudes towards abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia and others.
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Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud. King of Saudi Arabia.
Age: 90 years old.
In 2008, Parade magazine (USA) included him in the top list of the most brutal dictators of our time. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the absolute monarch of Saudi Arabia, controls territory with 20 percent of the world's proven oil reserves.
It is by the will of this person that the world oil market can collapse, which may have happened at the end of 2014 - beginning of 2015.
*** Tragically, on the very day the article was published, January 23, 2015, the King of Saudi Arabia died.
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Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Founders of Google.
Age: 41 years each.
These two friends, who met back in the mid-90s, are two of the most influential people in the world. They were the ones who created Google from scratch in 1998. Today, Google Ink is not just a search engine, it is the world's largest transnational corporation that invests huge amounts of money in the development of the Internet and other technologies.
Google Ink sites are the most popular sites in the world, with approximately 1 billion people visiting them in one month. Many people simply cannot live without Google, because this giant occupies many areas of our everyday and public life. Various applications and sites from Google, such as YouTube, Blogger, Google Maps, are indispensable for many millions of people.
On November 4, the American magazine Forbes published its annual ranking of the most influential people in the world according to the publication. Politicians, religious leaders, financiers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and show business stars on the list are assessed by Forbes editors based on the following parameters: the number of people affected by their decisions; the amount of financial resources owned or managed by them; the number of different spheres of life in which the influence of the rating participants is felt; the activity with which rating participants use their influence.
As we already wrote, the list of 73 people is Vladimir Putin. The top three also included Angela Merkel and Barack Obama. For more information about why the heads of Russia, Germany and the United States were ranked in this order and who else was included in the rating, see our photo gallery.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Age: 63
Country Russia
Family status: divorced, two children
Vladimir Putin, according to Forbes, still has no equal. He continues to prove that he is one of the few people in the world powerful enough to do what they want, Forbes notes. “International sanctions imposed after he seized Crimea and unleashed a hybrid war in Ukraine collapsed the ruble and plunged the country into a deep recession, but did not harm Putin himself: in June his rating rose to a record 89%. In October, he began bombing ISIS positions in Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, weakening the US and NATO positions in the region and returning Russia to international influence."— the publication sums it up.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Age: 61
Country: Germany
Family status: Married
Angela Merkel continues to rule one of the world powers and remains the most powerful woman in the world for more than 10 years. In December 2014, she was elected for the third time to the post of Chancellor of Germany - after another four years at the head of the government, she will turn into the main democratically elected political long-liver of the EU. Merkel competently guided the German economy through the global crisis, skillfully using stimulus measures and government subsidies, and also began to play a decisive role in preserving a united Europe by intervening in the Greek crisis. The German chancellor is also an active supporter of the fight against ISIS, becoming the first German ruler to break the post-World War II taboo on participation in hostilities. Merkel became an important participant in another conflict - the Ukrainian one. Here she acts as a mediator and, together with Vladimir Putin, is one of the guarantors of the existing peace agreements.
US President Barack Obama
Age: 54
Country: USA
Family status: married, two children
The United States, of course, remains a leading global power - in economics, culture, diplomacy, technology, military and other sectors. However, in the last year of his presidency, Obama clearly lost his own influence. Domestically, his rating rarely rises above 50%, and on the global stage the American leader is eclipsed by Angela Merkel as the mistress of a united Europe and Vladimir Putin as the new protagonist of the Middle East conflict.
Pope Francis
Age: 78
Country: Vatican
The spiritual leader of one-sixth of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis has radically changed the church's conservative image in just a few years. In September, he made a triumphant six-day visit to the United States, where he spoke before Congress and the UN, touching on climate issues, immigration, the infringement of the rights of religious minorities in the Middle East, etc. He also visited a prison in Philadelphia and met with victims of sexual abuse, again asking for forgiveness for sex scandals in the church. The first Jesuit pope and the first Latin American pontiff, he does not hesitate to discuss previously taboo topics, such as the rights of sexual minorities, women's rights, etc. Francis also devotes a lot of time to helping the poor, which is highly appreciated by his flock.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
Age: 62
Country: China
Family status: married, one child
The Chinese leader carefully uses his influence as the head of the world's second largest economy. After coming to power, he actively took up the implementation of market reforms and demonstrated open-mindedness. Compared to his predecessors, Xi leads a fairly open lifestyle, investing a lot of effort in the fight against corruption and building good relations with other powers - both in the West and in the East. From his October trip to the United States and Britain, the Chinese President brought back agreements worth a fantastic $46 billion.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates
Age: 60
Country: USA
Family status: married, three children
This year has been decisive in many ways for one of the world's richest men. 40 years ago, Gates and his friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft with the goal of bringing computers to every home. Today, 84% of Americans have a computer at home. 15 years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates opened a charitable foundation that aims to eliminate social inequality, and have already invested more than $30 billion in it. In May, the Gates announced that their foundation would help those affected by the Ebola virus, and a month later Melinda announced that the foundation will spend $776 million over the next six years to fight hunger.
US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen
Age: 69
Country: USA
Family status: married, one child
The first woman to head the world's top financial regulator has quickly gained the influence she lacked compared to her powerful predecessor, Ben Bernanke. Yellen's arrival as head of the Fed also coincided with the US economy emerging from the crisis, and now her task is to restore Americans' faith in the American dream. In October, the Federal Reserve announced its readiness to wind down the economic stimulus program, but promised to leave the refinancing rate at zero. The regulator under Yellen’s leadership already has $4.5 trillion in assets on its balance sheet—for comparison, American GDP is $16.8 trillion.
British Prime Minister David Cameron
Age: 49
Country: UK
Family status: married, four children
Cameron was re-elected to his post in May this year. The Conservative Party leader is very active on Twitter, where he has 834,000 followers, and also likes to take selfies, most famously with US President Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela's funeral.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
Age: 65
Country: India
Family status: married
In his first year in office, Narendra Modi increased the country's GDP by 7.4%, as well as his status in the international arena by holding meetings with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. Modi's reforms have increased India's influence in the tech market, but to secure his position, he needs to reform the party and bring the opposition under control.
Google founder Larry Page
Age: 42Country: USA
In August 2015, Larry Page announced his intention to cede the post of Google CEO to the curator of the corporation's search business, Sundar Pichai, by the end of the year. The billionaire himself will move to the chair of CEO of the new holding company Alphabet, which will unite both the Internet giant’s core business and its innovative divisions, including Google X, Nest, Fiber, Calico and others. Google's legal restructuring was announced after its shares soared to new all-time highs in July on the back of success in mobile search, the growth of YouTube and promises of additional investment in growth. Previously, Page and the team launched Sidewalk Labs, an organization that will focus on urban planning and improving the mobile services industry. Larry founded Google in 1998 with fellow Stanford student Sergey Brin and served as the company's first CEO until 2001. He then took a ten-year break from product development and returned to the post of CEO in 2011. In October 2014, Pichai began participating in the operational management of the business, while Page focused on long-term strategic issues. The Google co-founder is known as one of the most committed proponents of alternative energy in Silicon Valley.
For the first time in five years, Russian President Vladimir Putin, 65, did not become the leader of the Forbes ranking of the most influential people in the world, losing first place on the list to the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, 64-year-old Xi Jinping.
US President 71-year-old Donald Trump dropped in a new ranking published on Tuesday, May 8, on the American Forbes website, from second to third place.
The top five most influential people in the world in 2018 also included German Chancellor 63-year-old Angela Merkel and the richest person on the planet, Amazon.com founder 54-year-old billionaire Jeff Bezos. Forbes explained Xi Jinping's first place by the fact that in March of this year he managed to achieve the lifting of the constitutional ban on holding the post of head of the Communist Party of China for more than one term and being re-elected as the leader of the country.
Putin managed to become president of the country for the fourth time, winning the elections with a record result for post-Soviet times - 77% of the vote. The Russian President became the first in the Forbes ranking of the most influential people in the world in 2013, displacing his American colleague Barack Obama from the first place.
Trump, the magazine notes, during his stay in the White House was never able to get rid of a series of accusations and scandals and was unable to push his agenda through Congress, despite the Republican majority.
Merkel is credited with the fact that she managed to become Chancellor of Germany for the fourth time. The top 10 ranking also included Pope Francis (81 years old), Microsoft billionaire founder Bill Gates (62 years old), Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (32 years old), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (67 years old) years old) and billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page (45 years old).
Another co-founder of Google, a native of Russia, 44-year-old Sergey Brin, was in 35th place in the ranking. The ranking of the most influential people in the world is based on the subjective choice of the American editors of the magazine. The criteria for influence include such indicators as the number of people affected by the decisions of the rating participant, the financial flows that the rating participant controls as an administrator, manager or owner, and the activity with which the rating participant uses his power.
Most of the list included US citizens - 40 people. Among them are five politicians, including President Donald Trump, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (No. 11 in the ranking), Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (No. 63), Vice President Mike Pence (No. 67), Attorney General Robert Mueller (No. 72). One, 62-year-old Christine Lagarde, heads the International Monetary Fund. The remaining 34 people on the list are billionaires and heads of multinational corporations. Among them are Mark Zuckerberg (33 years old, No. 13 in the ranking) and Warren Buffett (87 years old, No. 16), Tim Cook (57 years old, No. 24) and Elon Musk (46 years old, No. 25), Michael Bloomberg (76 years old, No. 25), #51) and Michael Dell (56, #53).
The rating also included two representatives of India (in addition to the Prime Minister, this is the founder and head of the oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, 61-year-old billionaire Mukesh Andani), two Japanese (Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the head of Softbank, billionaire Masayoshi Son), two Mexicans (billionaire Carlos Slim and the country's president Enrique Peña Nieto) and two Frenchmen, including the country's president, 40-year-old Emmanuel Macron (No. 12) and billionaire Bernard Arnault.
The remaining few countries are represented in the ranking of the most influential people in the world by one person at a time. Among them were British Prime Minister Theresa May (No. 14 in the ranking), Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (No. 17), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (No. 26), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (No. 31) ), the head of the European Union, Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker (No. 33), the leader of North Korea, 34-year-old Kim Jong-un (No. 36), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (No. 48), Brazilian President Michel Temer (No. 50), President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (No. 54), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (No. 57), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (No. 62), FIFA head Swiss Gianni Infantino (No. 75).
There were only five women in the ranking of the 75 most influential people in the world. In addition to Merkel, May and Lagarde, this is the head of General Motors Mary Barra and the head of Fidelity Investments Abigail Johnson. The youngest person on the list was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who is 32 years old. The oldest is the head of CK Hutchison Holdings, Hong Kong's richest billionaire Li Ka-shing - 89 years old.