Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Angela Merkel has been ranked the most powerful woman 14 times.^[1]^[2]

Since 2004, Forbes, an American business magazine, has published an annual list of its ranking of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Edited by prominent Forbes journalists, including Moira Forbes, the list is compiled using various criteria such as visibility and economic impact. In 2023, the gauge was "money, media, impact and spheres of influence".^[3] The top 10 per year are listed below.

Top 10 most powerful women of 2023

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
Taylor Swift, musician
Karen Lynch, CEO of CVS Health
Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation^[3]

2022

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Melinda French Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy
Karen Lynch, CEO of CVS Health
Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture
Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup^[4]

2021

MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Melinda French Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan
Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture

2020

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Kamala Harris, Vice President-elect of the United States
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Gail Koziara Boudreaux, CEO of Anthem^[5]

2019

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander
Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM
Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin^[6]

2018

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander
Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin
Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM^[7]

2017

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Abigail Johnson, President-CEO of Fidelity Investments
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander
Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM^[8]

2016

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Hillary Clinton, United States presidential candidate
Janet Yellen, Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Ana Patricia Botín, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander^[9]

2015

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Hillary Clinton, United States presidential candidate
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Janet Yellen, Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States^[10]

2014

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Janet Yellen, Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM^[11]

2013

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo^[12]

2012

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jill Abramson, Executive Editor of The New York Times
Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook^[13]^[14]

2011

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[2]
Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International^[15]^[16]

2010

Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International
Oprah Winfrey, talk show host on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Lady Gaga, singer, actress and record producer
Gail Kelly, CEO of Westpac
Beyoncé Knowles, singer, actress and record producer
Ellen DeGeneres, talk show host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show^[17]

2009

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[1]
Sheila Bair, Chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American plc
Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International
Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont
Angela Braly, President-CEO of Anthem
Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva
Lynn Elsenhans, Chairwoman, CEO and President of Sunoco^[18]

2008

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[1]
Sheila Bair, Chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Angela Braly, President-CEO of Anthem
Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American plc
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International
Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings
Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox^[19]

2007

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[1]
Wu Yi, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings
Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress
Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American plc
Patricia Woertz, President-CEO of ADM
Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International
Patricia Russo, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent^[20]

2006

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany^[1]
Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
Wu Yi, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox
Sallie Krawcheck, CFO of Citigroup
Patricia Woertz, President-CEO of ADM
Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva
Brenda Barnes, President-CEO of Sara Lee
Zoe Cruz, Co-President of Morgan Stanley^[21]

2005

Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
Wu Yi, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines
Meg Whitman, President-CEO of eBay
Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Xerox
Sallie Krawcheck, CFO of Citigroup
Brenda Barnes, President-CEO of Sara Lee
Oprah Winfrey, talk show host on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation^[22]

2004

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Donner, Francesca. "The World's Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Kamala Harris, Jacinda Ardern and Stacey Abrams make Forbes list of 2020's most powerful women - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b "The World's Most Powerful Women 2023". Forbes. December 5, 2023. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
^ "World's Most Powerful Women 2022". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ "World's Most Powerful Women 2020". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
^ "World's Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
^ "The World's Most Powerful Women 2018". Forbes. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
^ Howard, Caroline (November 2, 2017). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women In 2017". Forbes. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
^ "The World's Most Powerful Women 2016". Forbes. June 7, 2016. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
^ Howard, Caroline (May 26, 2015). "The World's Most Powerful Women 2015". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ Howard, Caroline (May 28, 2014). "The World's Most Powerful Women 2014". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ Howard, Caroline (May 22, 2013). "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ Howard, Caroline (August 22, 2012). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women 2012". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. January 6, 2013. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ Howard, Caroline (August 24, 2011). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women: This Year It's All About Reach". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
^ "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ "The 100 Most Powerful Women 2010". Forbes. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ Donner, Francesca (August 19, 2009). "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ Egan, Mary Ellen; Schoenberger, Chana R. (August 27, 2008). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. August 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on December 23, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ "The Most Powerful Women". Forbes. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ MacDonald, Elizabeth; Schoenberger, Chana R. (August 20, 2004). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

External links

Official Forbes site: The World's Most Powerful Women

[MerkelStreakof4-1] Donner, Francesca. "The World's Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Retrieved 28 August 2023.

[MerkalStreakof10-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Kamala Harris, Jacinda Ardern and Stacey Abrams make Forbes list of 2020's most powerful women - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2023.

[2023List-3] "The World's Most Powerful Women 2023". Forbes. December 5, 2023. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

[4] "World's Most Powerful Women 2022". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

[5] "World's Most Powerful Women 2020". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-09.

[6] "World's Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2019-12-13.

[forbes2018-7] "The World's Most Powerful Women 2018". Forbes. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

[forbes2017-8] Howard, Caroline (November 2, 2017). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women In 2017". Forbes. Retrieved December 16, 2017.

[forbes2016-9] "The World's Most Powerful Women 2016". Forbes. June 7, 2016. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.

[10] Howard, Caroline (May 26, 2015). "The World's Most Powerful Women 2015". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2016.

[11] Howard, Caroline (May 28, 2014). "The World's Most Powerful Women 2014". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2016.

[12] Howard, Caroline (May 22, 2013). "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2016.

[13] Howard, Caroline (August 22, 2012). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women 2012". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[14] "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. January 6, 2013. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[15] Howard, Caroline (August 24, 2011). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women: This Year It's All About Reach". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2016.

[16] "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. December 29, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[17] "The 100 Most Powerful Women 2010". Forbes. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[18] Donner, Francesca (August 19, 2009). "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[19] Egan, Mary Ellen; Schoenberger, Chana R. (August 27, 2008). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[20] "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. August 30, 2007. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[21] "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on December 23, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[22] "The Most Powerful Women". Forbes. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

[23] MacDonald, Elizabeth; Schoenberger, Chana R. (August 20, 2004). "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2023.

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