The world's population is almost 7.1 billion people. In this article, we will highlight only 10 of them who have the most influence in the world (at the time of publication). One way or another, they all got into the Forbes lists as one 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 leaders, financiers and philanthropists really control the world?
* The age and position of all persons are indicated at the time of publication of the material.
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David Cameron. British Prime Minister.
Age: 48 years old.
David Cameron has been the head of the UK Parliament since 2010. In fact, it is the first person of the state.
IN Lately in united Europe, 2 poles of power have emerged, 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 the tune of Germany at all.
Cameron has already managed to reject Germany's call for an increase in the EU budget and has threatened to veto if such a law is passed. And it's entirely possible that Cameron would have been a more prominent and influential player on the world stage if he hadn't had to deal with a lot of problems at home, such as a steady economic downturn, electoral discontent, as well as problems in his own party.
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Janet Yellen. US Federal Reserve Chairman.
Age: 68 years old.
The Federal Reserve System is an independent US agency that acts as the nation's central bank. It can only obey 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 affect the entire US financial system, and indirectly the entire world economy generally.
Chairman of the Fed - has broad powers in the controlled organization, which means it has a great influence on the US economy and the rest of the world. Janet Yellen has been head of the US Federal Reserve since February 2014 and has already managed to solve several important issues sitting in chair chair.
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Pope Francis. Head of the Catholic Church.
Age: 78 years old.
Under the doctrine of papal dominion, the pope has "supreme, complete, unquestioning and universal power" over the souls of the 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.
People are turning to the pope to help solve many of the 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 an area with 20 percent of the world's proven oil reserves.
It is at the will of this person that the world oil market can collapse, which may have happened in late 2014 - early 2015.
*** Tragically, just on the day the article was published, January 23, 2015, the King of Saudi Arabia passed away.
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Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Founders of Google.
Age: 41 each.
These two friends, who met back in the mid-90s, are among the most powerful people in the world. They 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 a lot of money in the development of the Internet and other technologies.
Google Ink websites are the most popular websites in the world, with about 1 billion people visiting them in one month. Many simply cannot live without Google, because this giant occupies many areas of our everyday and social life. Various applications and sites from Google, such as YouTube, Blogger, Google Maps are indispensable for many millions of people.
Forbes on Wednesday released a new ranking of the most influential people in the world. The list includes 72 political, economic, business and public figures - one for every 100 million inhabitants of the planet. The rating was headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 61-year-old politician removed his American colleague Barack Obama from the first line. Rounding out the top three were Chinese President Xi Jinping. Read more about the most influential people in the world according to Forbes below.
The rating is based on the subjective choice of the American editors of the magazine. The criteria for influence are indicators such as the number of people affected by the decisions of the rating participant, the financial flows that the rating participant manages as an administrator, manager or owner, and the activity with which the rating participant uses his power.
1. Vladimir Putin
Who: President of Russia
influence: Russia
Industry: politics
Age: 61
The ascension of the Russian leader to the top of the Forbes influence rating was facilitated both by the process of “tightening the screws” inside the country and by his success in the diplomatic arena.
In particular, Putin proposed a compromise solution to the Syrian problem that would suit all parties and relieved tension in the conflict, which almost escalated into a full-scale war. In addition, the Russian President granted political asylum to former CIA officer Edward Snowden, whose high-profile revelations became not only a headache for American intelligence agencies, but also a problem for other states, whose diplomats the fugitive programmer turned to for support.
The world's largest nuclear arsenal, a vote in the UN Security Council and record hydrocarbon deposits remain under Putin's control. The leader of the rating has at least another five years of absolute power left, and can potentially rule Russia until 2024.
2. Barack Obama
Who: President of the United States
influence: USA
Industry: politics
Age: 52
The American leader lost the first line of the rating to his Russian colleague against the backdrop of numerous squabbles in US domestic politics.
Obama failed to convince Congress of the need to implement health insurance reform according to his plan, which ultimately led the country to a dead end: in early October, US government agencies had to close for 16 days due to the inability of politicians to find consensus on the budget and the national debt ceiling. No less sensitive blow to Obama's reputation was the revelations of Edward Snowden, which put the head of state in the position of an eternally justifying person.
And yet, even with his second term in office and the accompanying suspicions of turning into a lame duck, Obama remains the leader of the world's most powerful political, economic, and military power.
3. Xi Jinping
Who: Chinese President
influence: PRC
Industry: politics
Age: 60
The new Chinese leader in 2012 officially took the helm of the second most influential world power with a population of 1.3 billion people, which is almost 20% of the population of the entire planet. Under Xi, China remains the largest holder of American external debt - the Celestial Empire owns US Treasury receipts for $ 1.3 billion. The rapid growth of the economy continues: in 10 years, the number of official billionaires in China has increased from zero to 122, and GDP has reached $ 8.2 trillion. In addition to the post of chairman of the PRC, Xi is the secretary general of the Communist Party and the head of the country's military forces.
4. Pope Francis
Who: Pope
Influences: Roman Catholic Church
Industry: religion
Age: 76
Francis succeeded Benedict XVI as head of the Roman Church in March 2013. Its mission is to breathe new energy into an institution that unites 1.2 billion people around the world.
The first Jesuit pope and the first Latin American pope has already issued a number of reformist statements, from calling for gender equality to lowering the level of critical rhetoric against supporters of abortion, gay marriage and contraceptives. Francis, or Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the world, uses social media, preaches on Twitter, and even takes self-portraits for social networks in accordance with the spirit of the times.
He comes from a large family of Italian immigrants who settled in Buenos Aires. The Pope is known as a passionate fan of the San Lorenzo de Almagro football club.
5. Angela Merkel
Who: Chancellor of Germany
influences: Germany
Industry: politics
Age: 59
The most powerful woman in the world remains a key figure in solving the political and economic problems of the European Union.
Merkel's commitment to the hard line of austerity and the preservation of the euro as a single currency helped the EU a lot to survive as an integration entity, despite the crisis in the southern economies of the Old World and persistent calls for reverse disintegration from the North.
Recently, the “iron chancellor” was re-elected without any visible problems to the post that she has been holding since 2005. In the ranking of the most powerful women in the world according to Forbes, Merkel climbed to the top 8 times over the past 10 years.
6. Bill Gates
Who: Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Influences: Microsoft, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Industry: business, philanthropy
Age: 58
With a net worth of $72 billion, Gates recently regained his status richest man in the world according to Forbes. The founder of Microsoft himself most time spends on the work of a charitable foundation, which he manages with his wife Melinda.
As a philanthropist, he has already spent $28 billion. Gates' last major philanthropic initiative was the $335 million polio program in April, which was joined by six more billionaires with $100 million in contributions, including Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Microsoft shares have been rising since the end of August, when the software giant announced the resignation of Steve Ballmer as CEO. Gates remains chairman of the board of directors of the company he co-founded with Paul Allen in 1975.
Along with Warren Buffett, Gates continues to recruit members for the Giving Pledge, in which billionaires make a public pledge to donate at least 50% of their wealth to charitable causes.
7. Ben Bernanke
Who: Fed Chairman
influence: Fed
Industry: economics
Age: 59
Big Ben is preparing to leave the most powerful economic post in the world on January 31, 2014. Recently it became known the name of his successor - Janet Yellen will head the Fed next year. During his tenure, Bernanke has become a living symbol of the fight against the consequences of the global crisis. The former Princeton professor became the main lobbyist for the soft stimulus policy and ensured, albeit modest, but still stable growth in US GDP.
8. Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud
Who: King of Saudi Arabia
Influence: Saudi Arabia
Industry: politics
Age: 89
The influence of the Saudi monarch is made up not only of high authority in the Muslim world, but also due to control over 20% of the world's oil reserves (265 million barrels). GDP growth to $ 727 billion allowed the kingdom to enter the top 20 global economies. At the same time, the unemployment rate in the country remains at 12%, and 50% of the population is under 25 years old. King Abdullah recently allocated $130 billion for youth employment and housing programs.
9. Mario Draghi
Who: President of the European Central Bank
influence: ECB
Industry: economics
Age: 66
"Super Mario" got not the most comfortable position in modern economic realities. He became the face of the troubled economy of the eurozone countries with a combined GDP of $17 trillion. Every time Draghi has to set investors up for optimism and maneuver between the interests of countries so different by all criteria, like Greece and Germany. And while he copes with this paradoxical task.
10. Michael Duke
Who: CEO of Wal-Mart Stores
Influencers: Wal-Mart Stores
Industry: business
Age: 63
The head of the world's largest retailer with a revenue of $470 billion and the world's second largest employer with a staff of 2.2 million people could not help but enter the top 10 most influential people. Duke, as the CEO of Wal-Mart, can decide the fate of a product with a single signature, simply by removing it from the shelf or putting it there. In the fall, he visited Washington as part of a delegation of 20 CEOs of the largest American companies, where he tried to convince President Obama of the need to quickly break the budget impasse.
11. David Cameron
Who: British Prime Minister
influences: UK
Industry: politics
Age: 47
The Tory leader runs the world's sixth largest economy and is often compared to Margaret Thatcher for her commitment to fiscal austerity. True, Cameron got hit for a populist proposal to cut the electricity tax for households. An Oxford graduate and distant relative of King William IV is known as an active critic of Edward Snowden. In two years, Cameron will have to lead the Conservatives to new elections.
12. Carlos Slim
Who: Chairman of the Honorary Charitable Foundation
influences: America Movil
Industry: business, philanthropy
Age: 73
The Mexican telecommunications tycoon displaced Bill Gates from the position of the richest man in the world for several years, but this year again lost the palm to the American. Slim's business empire includes assets in mining, real estate development and media (in publishing The New York Times). In 2012, the billionaire acquired three football clubs at once - two in his native Mexico and one in Spain. In February 2013, Slim joined the Gates initiative to fight hunger and support innovative farming technology.
13. Warren Buffett
Who: CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
influences: Berkshire Hathaway
Industry: business, philanthropy
Age: 83
The "Oracle of Omaha", despite diagnosed with prostate cancer and advanced age, does not let go of the threads of the operational management of his business empire. His net worth has grown by almost $20 billion to $53.5 billion in a year, and Buffett has not lost his taste for big deals. Berkshire Hathaway launched a $23.2 billion takeover of legendary ketchup maker Heinz in June, after acquiring energy firm NV Energy for $5.6 billion in cash. The investor continues to be actively involved in charity: in July, he sent another $ 2 billion in the form of Berkshire shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Cumulatively, Buffett's philanthropic initiatives have already reached $20 billion.
14. Li Keqiang
Who: Premier of the State Council of China
influence: PRC
Industry: politics
Age: 58
The second politician in the PRC after Xi Jinping, Li, despite being loyal to the party's communist ideals, is known as a champion of economic liberalism. He acted as one of the lobbyists of the World Bank report, which called on the Celestial Empire to accelerate reforms in the direction opposite to state capitalism.
15. Jeff Bezos
Who: CEO of Amazon.com
Influencers: Amazon.com
Industry: business, technology
Age: 49
Bezos quickly emerged as one of the world's most powerful businessmen with the explosion of the online retailer he founded. Amazon, with $61 billion in annual sales, has expanded its reach into technology, fashion, video streaming and traditional media. In the summer, Bezos acquired The Washington Post holding for $250 million.
16. Rex Tillerson
Who: CEO of Exxon Mobil
Influencers: Exxon Mobil
Industry: business
Age: 61
The head of the largest US oil and gas corporation led Exxon to a phenomenal $44.9 billion profit last year. The company remains the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas producer and operates on six continents. Tillerson is considered one of the most influential and effective lobbyists in the industry.
17. Sergey Brin
Who: co-founder, head of special projects at Google
influencers: Google
Industry: business, technology
Age: 40
The co-founders of Google have been working in tandem together for more than a decade. While Page has operational control over the entire search giant, Brin has focused on the corporation's most innovative devices within the Google X division. We are talking about Google Glass augmented reality glasses and a self-driving car. Together with Page, Brin donated $400 million to charity this year.
18. Larry Page
Who: co-founder, CEO of Google
influencers: Google
Industry: business, technology
Age: 40
Page runs the world's most popular site with a monthly audience of 1 billion users, a corporation with $50 billion in revenue and a rapidly growing business. The Google CEO is responsible for numerous M&A deals, including the $1 billion purchase of the crowdsourced app Waze and the $12.5 billion takeover of Motorola's mobile division.
19. Francois Hollande
Who: President of France
influences: France
Industry: politics
Age: 59
Hollande became France's first Socialist president in two decades and immediately ran into the financial troubles of Europe's second-largest economy. His popularity rating dropped to 23% in October amid clumsy actions in a high-profile scandal over migrant deportations. This is the lowest electoral figure for a French president in 20 years - even lower than that of Hollande's unpopular predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Recently, the head of state criticized his American colleague Barack Obama for the facts of wiretapping by the US special services of telephone conversations of millions of French people (70 calls and SMS messages were tapped and viewed in a month alone).
20. Timothy Cook
Who: Apple CEO
influencers: Apple
Industry: business, technology
Age: 52
Apple is not only the most valuable company in the world, but also an unrivaled authority in the design and technology industry, in the film and music business, in media and telecommunications. This year, at Cook's request, his bonus will be linked to the company's stock performance. In 2012, the CEO of Apple, the successor to Steve Jobs in office, earned $4.2 million.
53. Dmitry Medvedev
Who: Prime Minister of Russia
influence: Russia
Industry: politics
Age: 48
The head of the Russian government, despite serious reputational losses after the reverse castling with Vladimir Putin, remains the second most influential figure in the domestic power vertical. However, the chances that the current president of the country will decide to entrust all the threads of control to his younger comrade for the second time are negligible.
60. Igor Sechin
Who: President, Chairman of the Board of Rosneft
influence: Rosneft
Industry: business
Age: 53
A faithful ally of Vladimir Putin returned to the Forbes rating after a year of absence. He did not join Dmitry Medvedev's government and maintained tense relations with the current prime minister. But in the status of the head of Rosneft, the former curator of the fuel and energy complex in the Cabinet started a “deal of the century” to take over TNK-BP in the amount of $56 billion. Soon, Sechin will officially become the head of the largest public oil company in the world in terms of production. At the same time, he maintains close relations with the first person of the state, which in Russian realities remains the main resource of administrative weight.
63. Alisher Usmanov
Who: CEO of Gazprominvestholding
Influencers: USM Holdings
Industry: business
Age: 60
The richest man in Russia made his fortune of $ 17.6 billion in metals, but in last years diversified business by acquiring assets in telecommunications (MegaFon), media (Kommersant Publishing House) and technologies (Mail.ru Group). He also owns a stake in the London football club Arsenal.
Politics is a very complex science, in which it is quite easy to get confused when the well-being of each individual citizen of the state is at stake. I suggest you get acquainted with the most outstanding and worthy figures of civilization - from ancient philosophers to modern politicians. Aristides of Athens
The Athenian statesman and commander of the period of the Greco-Persian wars (500-449 BC) began his political activity, being a supporter of the reformer Cleisthenes (from the Alcmaeonid family). Later, he moved away from this grouping and took a unique position outside of any groupings - this is what distinguished him from other statesmen of his time. Contemporaries admired Aristide, because he was unusually fair and always put national interests above personal and group ones. More than once he was expelled from the state, which was the result of political intrigues.
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
The ancient Roman consul and dictator was considered among the Romans a hero of the early years of the Roman Republic, a model of virtue and simplicity. Being a simple farmer, he left his plow at the hour when Rome began to be threatened by the tribes of the Equi from the east and the Volscians from the southeast. Knowing that his departure could lead to starvation in the family if the land remained unsown, he nevertheless agreed to be a dictator and defeated the enemy. After the victory, he resigned his position and returned to agriculture.
Marcus Aurelius
The Roman emperor carried out liberal politics to its highest perfection. The basis of his actions was nothing but respect for people. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the glorious galaxy of great Caesars ancient rome- the emperors of Nerva, Trajan, Adrian and Antoninus Pius, whose reign became the "golden age" in the history of this state.
George Washington
The first president and founding father of the United States, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, participant in the Revolutionary War and creator of the American presidency was a crystal-clearly honest man. In 1775, he was appointed military adviser to New York to defend the city from British attacks. A little later, he was appointed commander in chief of all US armed forces, while George did not require any payment for this - he worked exclusively "for the idea."
Abraham Lincoln
As Leo Tolstoy said: "He was what Beethoven was in music, Dante in poetry, Raphael in painting, Christ in the philosophy of life." These words were spoken about the sixteenth US President Abraham Lincoln. In fact, he turned out to be the only politician who primarily defended the unity of the country. “Although I hate slavery,” Lincoln said, “I would rather agree to its expansion than see the union broken.” And on the next presidential elections the American people supported him. It is noteworthy that Lincoln did not participate in the election campaign then - he did not have the necessary funds for this, and he considered it unacceptable to accept money from sponsors.
William Gladstone
Gladstone headed the British government four times, and his activities reflected the main positions of classical liberalism. His reforms contributed to the democratization of English society - the church separated from the state, a secret ballot was introduced, and the rights of Irish tenant peasants were expanded.
Gandhi
The ideologist and leader of the Indian national liberation movement developed the tactics of a non-violent struggle for independence. After India gained its long-awaited independence, Gandhi was called the "Father of the Nation".
Vaclav Havel
One of the brightest figures in recent European history and a symbol of the velvet revolution - a bloodless transition from totalitarianism to democracy, in 1989 he became the president of Czechoslovakia, and after the division of the country into 2 independent states, he became the first president of an independent Czech Republic.
Aung San Suu Kyi
The first person in the world whom Western journalists in the 21st century awarded the title of "hero of our time." This steadfast and fearless woman is the most famous representative new Myanmar. She advocates reform through the doctrine of non-violence.
Source: www.toptenz.net
The American magazine Forbes published the ranking of the most influential people in the world in 2018. TOP-3 were the leaders of the largest countries - China, Russia and the United States.
Of the 7.5 billion people on our planet, Forbes magazine named only one in every 100 million whose activities are most influential. The list includes the names of 74 people who determine the course of the economy and politics of the world. Vladimir Putin did not become the first in the rating.
The most influential people in the world in 2018 according to Forbes
1. Xi Jinping:
- President of the People's Republic of China, who by his own efforts changed the Constitution, expanded his own influence. He regained the most important post, acted as the author of reforms, and implemented the Chinese Dream program, which is valid until the end of 2049.
2. Vladimir Putin:
- the leader of Russia, who was the leader of the rating from 2013 to 2016 inclusive. He has been in the presidency for eighteen years. This year, Vladimir Putin was ranked second due to a scandalous incident - Russian interference in the US presidential election.
3. Donald Trump:
- American President. Although he owns a powerful army, and America's economy is powerful, the leader of the country still did not rise above the third position in the ranking. He also found himself at the center of a scandal involving hackers from Russia.
4. Angela Merkel:
- German chancellor, the only woman chancellor in her native country. She has been in her current position for thirteen years. At the same time, in the elections of the past year, her victory became as ambiguous as that of Donald Trump: 364 deputies out of 688 voted for Angela Merkel.
5. Jeff Bezos:
- Founded Amazon. This year, his fortune is more than $100 billion. Amazon is valued at $768 billion.
6. Pope Francis:
- a reformer who launched the process of changing the conservative foundations of the Catholic Church. In parallel with the presidents of other countries, he is trying to improve the living conditions of refugees, opposes climate change and the persecution of religious minorities.
7. Bill Gates:
- founded Microsoft, but today his share in it is no more than 1% of the shares. Now he is involved in charity work, and even created his own charitable foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife.
8. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud:
- is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, led the anti-corruption campaign, thanks to which many rich people were arrested, and underpaid funds were returned to the treasury.
9. Narendra Modi:
- holds the post of prime minister in India, also intends to do everything to keep the climate the same.
10. Larry Page:
- founded the Google search engine exactly twenty years ago.
French leader Emmanuel Macron was in 12th place, Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook - in 13th place. Elon Musk was ranked 25th, Kim Jong-un - 36th, and Bashar Al Assad - 62nd.
Published rating 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. According to the results of voting of readers of the edition, the most influential was the US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (Bernie Sanders). Most people in Russia, most likely, will not be able to answer the question: Who is this? The same applies to other candidates. It is noteworthy that the most prominent politicians on the world stage, such as Vladimir Putin (0.8% of the vote), Xi Jinping (0.5% of the vote), Angela Merkel (1.1% of the vote) did not even make it into the top five. Only Barack Obama managed to somehow take 4th place (2% of the vote).
This time, Vladimir Putin, for some reason, managed to take only 37th place (0.8% of the vote). At the same time, in 2015, 2014 and 2013, he ranked first according to the results of the full list.
In section « full list» (Full List) The top five most influential people in the world included: US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Big Bang music group, opposition leader Au San Suu Kyi, Barack Obama and human rights activist Malala Yousafzai.
25 most influential people in the world, 2016
Among the leaders of 2016, the most influential were: the head of the IMF Christine Lagarde, US Secretary of State John Kerry and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. At the same time, if the leadership qualities of John Kerry are considered worthy of inclusion in the rating, given his work on the Syrian crisis, then the question arises why the second place was not taken by Sergey Lavrov, whose role in resolving this and many other international issues is likely to be more high?
Top 10 Most Influential Leaders in the World, 2016
Vladimir Putin (16th place) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (17th place) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (18th place - last) also got here. All the same, the results of the rating make us think about the purity of the study.
