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Who Are the World’s Most Powerful Women?

Forbes released 2016’s list of the world's 100 top powerful women

by Laura Close

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Forbes released 2016’s list of the world’s 100 top powerful women

For the sixth year in a row, Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has topped Forbes‘ annual list of the world’s most powerful women. Hillary Clinton takes second place for the second year running, while the U.S. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen moved up one spot to claim the title of third most powerful women in the world.

Melinda Gates, CEO of General Motors Mary Barra, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Youtube Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Meg Whitman, and executive chairman of Banco Santander Ana Botin comprise the remainder of the world’s top ten powerful women.

Surprisingly, Oprah Winfrey fell from 12th to 21st place, while the Queen Elizabeth II soared to 29th. The top climber this year was EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, jumping from 36 to the 19th spot.

RankNameAgeCountryCategory
#1Angela Merkel61GermanyPolitics
#2Hillary Clinton68United StatesPolitics
#3Janet Yellen69United StatesFinance and Investments
#4Melinda Gates51United StatesPhilanthropy/NGO
#5Mary Barra54United StatesAutomotive
#6Christine Lagarde60FranceEconomy
#7Sheryl Sandberg46United StatesTechnology
#8Susan Wojcicki47United StatesTechnology
#9Meg Whitman59United StatesTechnology
#10Ana Patricia Botín55SpainFinance and Investments
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#11Ginni Rometty58United StatesTechnology
#12Park Geun-hye64South KoreaPolitics
#13Michelle Obama52United StatesPolitics
#14Indra Nooyi60United StatesDiversified
#15Angela Ahrendts55United StatesTechnology
#16Abigail Johnson54United StatesFinance and Investments
#17Tsai Ing-wen59TaiwanPolitics
#18Michelle Bachelet64ChilePolitics
#19Federica Mogherini42ItalyPolitics
#20Safra Catz54United StatesTechnology
#21Oprah Winfrey62United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#22Helen Clark66New ZealandPhilanthropy/NGO
#23U.S. Supreme Court Justices–United StatesPolitics
#24Marillyn Hewson62United StatesManufacturing
#25Arundhati Bhattacharya60IndiaFinance and Investments
#26Aung Sun Suu Kyi70MyanmarPolitics
#27Ruth Porat58United StatesTechnology
#28Anna Wintour66United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#29Queen Elizabeth II90United KingdomPolitics
#30Ho Ching63SingaporeDiversified
#31Adena Friedman46United StatesFinance and Investments
#32Irene Rosenfeld63United StatesDiversified
#33Loretta Lynch57United StatesPolitics
#34Ursula Burns57United StatesTechnology
#35Lucy Peng43ChinaTechnology
#36Sheikh Hasina Wajed68BangladeshPolitics
#37Sri Mulyani Indrawati53IndonesiaPhilanthropy/NGO
#38Margaret Chan68ChinaPhilanthropy/NGO
#39Drew Gilpin Faust68United StatesPhilanthropy/NGO
#40Chanda Kochhar54IndiaDiversified
#41Samantha Power45United StatesPolitics
#42Pollyanna Chu58Hong KongFinance and Investments
#43Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi54United Arab EmiratesPolitics
#44Amy Hood44United StatesTechnology
#45Beth Comstock55United StatesDiversified
#46Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović48CroatiaPolitics
#47Bonnie Hammer65United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#48Ertharin Cousin59United StatesPhilanthropy/NGO
#49Laurene Powell Jobs52United StatesTechnology
#50Nicola Sturgeon45ScotlandPolitics
#51Gina Rinehart62AustraliaMetals & Mining
#52Bidya Devi Bhandari54NepalPolitics
#53Dana Walden51United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#54Phebe Novakovic57United StatesDiversified
#55Marissa Mayer41United StatesTechnology
#56Elvira Nabiullina52RussiaFinance and Investments
#57Rosalind Brewer53United StatesDiversified
#58Peng Liyuan53ChinaPolitics
#59Nemat (Minouche) Shafik54United KingdomFinance and Investments
#60Mary Callahan Erdoes48United StatesFinance and Investments
#61Zhou Qunfei46Hong KongTechnology
#62Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao45–Diversified
#63Dong Mingzhu62–Manufacturing
#64Güler Sabanci61TurkeyDiversified
#65Lubna S. Olayan60Saudi ArabiaDiversified
#66Susan Cameron57United StatesDiversified
#67Donna Langley48United KingdomMedia & Entertainment
#68Katharine Viner44United KingdomMedia & Entertainment
#69Feng Ying Wang–ChinaAutomotive
#70Arianna Huffington65United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#71Diane von Furstenberg69United StatesFashion and Retail
#72Dalia Grybauskaitė60LithuaniaPolitics
#73Tory Burch49United StatesFashion and Retail
#74Mary Jo White68United StatesPolitics
#75Kaci Kullmann Five65NorwayPhilanthropy/NGO
#76Gwynne Shotwell52United StatesConstruction & Engineering
#77Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw63IndiaHealthcare
#78Zanny Minton Beddoes–United KingdomMedia & Entertainment
#79Miuccia Prada67ItalyFashion and Retail
#80Folorunsho Alakija65NigeriaEnergy
#81Solina Chau54Hong KongTechnology
#82Judy Faulkner72United StatesHealthcare
#83Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf77LiberiaPolitics
#84Fabiola Gianotti55ItalyPhilanthropy/NGO
#85Lynn Good–United StatesEnergy
#86Mary Meeker56United StatesTechnology
#87Patricia Harris59United StatesPhilanthropy/NGO
#88Eliza Manningham-Buller67United KingdomPhilanthropy/NGO
#89Irina Bokova63BulgariaPhilanthropy/NGO
#90Sara Blakely45United StatesFashion and Retail
#91Raja Easa Al Gurg–United Arab EmiratesDiversified
#92Debra Cafaro–United StatesReal Estate
#93Shobhana Bhartia59IndiaMedia & Entertainment
#94Greta Van Susteren61United StatesMedia & Entertainment
#95Heather Bresch46United StatesHealthcare
#96Ameenah Gurib-Fakim56MauritiusPolitics
#97Risa Lavizzo-Mourey61United StatesPhilanthropy/NGO
#98Lee Boo-Jin45South KoreaService
#99Beth Brooke-Marciniak56United StatesDiversified
#100Jenny Lee44SingaporeTechnology

Since 2004, Forbes‘ list has been edited by Forbes journalists. The world’s top powerful women are chosen based on their visibility and economic impact.

By: Laura Close

Managing Editor | writer, editor, nerd, feminist, and lover of grammar.

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