Forbes magazine has released the list of world's most powerful people in 2018. Of the 7.5 billion people, the magazine identifies one person for every 100 million people in the world. From world leaders to tech gurus and sports personalities, the ones who make the list are selected based on whose "actions mean the most."
There have been 17 new-comers who have made the cut. These include the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, ranked in top 10, and the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, making him the most influential man in sports. Other first-timers include prime minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian president Joko Widodo.
Here are the Top 5 of the world's most powerful people.
Xi Jinping: The president of China topped the list for the first time, dethroning Russian president Vladimir Putin. Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, or CPC, the sole governing party in the country. According to Forbes, Jinping topped the list after China's Congress amended its constitution in March earlier this year. Apart from adding a boost to Jinping's influence, the amendments also eliminated term limits. Forbes added that the Chinese leader manages to "enjoy a cult of personality," with a kind of popularity that has not been seen since the days of Chairman Mao, the founder of CPC.
Vladimir Putin: After dominating the Forbes list for four consecutive years, Russian president Vladimir Putin was ranked the second most influential person in the world. Reinstating his popularity in Russia, the elections in March witnessed Putin winning 77 percent of the vote. This is said to be the largest margin of victory for a candidate since the decline of Soviet Union. Putin is now on the verge of becoming the longest-serving Russian leader after Joseph Stalin. The 65-year-old world leader has been in power ever since he was first elected in 1999.
Donald Trump: Despite the many scandals that lead with his name, and polarized opinions on his role as the US president, Donald Trump was ranked the third most influential person in the world. Albeit the Commander in Chief of the world's largest economy, Trump is under investigation by law enforcement authorities for his personal and business life. According to Forbes, the list of 2018 is meant to highlight "consolidation of power in the hands of an elite few." It only makes sense that Trump has secured the third spot since his decisions and words manage to incite strong reactions from the people, be it positive or negative.
Angela Merkel – The 63-year-old chancellor of Germany is the most powerful woman on the list. "The de facto leader of Europe, Merkel won a hard-fought election in 2017 and created a 'grand coalition' with political partners," reports Forbes. She has been in power since 2005 and is the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In March 2014, Merkel became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the European Union.
Jeff Bezos – The most powerful woman is followed by the richest man in the world on the Forbes list. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon is the only famous personality ranked in the top 5 without a political background. Bezos is the chairman and chief executive officer of Amazon. Touted as the world's largest online retailer, the company has become a household name and made Bezos the world's first centi-billionaire with a net worth of a staggering $112 billion as on March 6.
