The most power in terms of authority, influence, finances, and leadership may be possessed by elected political leaders as well as numerous influential leaders from the business, social media, innovation, and religious sectors. These are accomplished individuals working rigorously to improve the world on geo-political and economic levels, and their decisions can make a big impact on a global level. The top 20 most powerful people in the world are listed in this post. Continue reading if you want to learn more about them.
Top 20 Most Powerful People In The World
These are, in essence, the 20 most powerful persons on the planet as of 2023.
1. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
A politician from Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, now Saint Petersburg, Russia. He first came into presidential power in 1999. More than 23 years have passed since he first assumed power.
Vladimir Putin serves as both an effective ideological litmus test and a potent ideological icon. Although it is unknown what his true net worth is, it is believed that he may be the richest man in the world with assets worth up to $200 billion.
He is thought to be one of the most powerful people in the world. With 6000 nuclear warheads at his disposal, he has the biggest nuclear arsenal. In ten minutes, he could wipe out the human species.
Putin ascended to levels of authority few people in history have ever attained from virtually nothing. He still plays a key role in shaping the 21st century and there does not seem to be any sign of that chance.
2. Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping was born in Beijing on 15 June 1953. Since taking office as China’s president in 2013, Xi Jinping has consolidated his control over the nation. He is the head of an economic powerhouse and uses nationalism as a more potent ideological weapon.
He is in charge of more than 1.4 billion people as President of China and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. He has amassed a tremendous amount of power within CCP by methodically purging adversaries.
In 2016, he was appointed the People’s Liberation Army’s supreme commander, and since then, he has had direct control over the People’s Armed Police. Indeed, he is one of the most powerful people in the world.
3. Angela Merkel
The German city of Hamburg is where Angela Merkel was born in 1954. Since being elected to government in 2005, Angela Merkel has revolutionized German politics, earning her the title of the most powerful woman in the world.
Through several domestic measures and international economic trade agreements, Merkel, the German chancellor, has assisted her nation in becoming Europe’s top economic powerhouse.
She is a remarkable leader who defends her nation and her people. She is a strong, analytical, and accomplished politician. For 13 of the last 14 years, she has held the title of the most powerful woman in the world.
4. Joe Biden
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden was born on November 20, 1942. Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States of America and is frequently referred to as the most powerful person in the world.
Because of his time spent in the Senate, Biden has a good understanding of the legislative process. His administration has passed the most comprehensive set of climate change regulations in US history, along with a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure program.
The current prevailing belief is that Biden will seek re-election in 2024. Biden has demonstrated the ability to surprise and perplex his detractors throughout his political career, even though a second term may seem too ambitious.
5. Emmanuel Macron
France’s Amiens is where Emmanuel Macron was born on December 21, 1977. He stood for president of France in 2017 and received 66.1% of the vote. For a second term, he has been elected president of France. He won a second term in office, making him the first French President to do so in the last 20 years.
He is an outstanding politician who presides over the Republic and has administrative power over the administration, parliament, and Constitutional Court. Though his ultimate objective of making Europe a superpower may seem far off, his great political abilities could help Europe become a significant geopolitical player, comparable to China and the US.
6. Narendra Modi
Gujarat was the place of Narendra Modi’s birth on September 17, 1950. Having assumed office in 2014, he is India’s 14th prime minister and is still in his PM’s position to date. He can be seen as one of the most powerful people in the world.
He is the one who put an end to the dominance of India’s largest political party for more than 60 years. In the third-largest economy in the world, Modi demonetized 86% of the currency with only about 200 minutes notice. Such is his influence that in reaction to the Uri Terror assault, he publicly announced a surgical strike in POK. The same was done for Myanmar. Even under duress, he is one of the few prime ministers who act autonomously.
7. Jeff Bezos
The birthplace of Jeff Bezos is Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was born on January 12, 1964. Bezos, one of the wealthiest people in the world with a net worth of $125 billion, founded the online book retailer Amazon in his Seattle garage in 1994. Since then, it has expanded to sell a wide variety of goods.
Behind Apple, he has contributed to making Amazon the second-most valuable firm in the world. Today, Jeff Bezos is in charge of a large portion of the internet. Every year, his impact on the internet grows. His business, Amazon, operates like a government, giving consumers access to a market that is subject to regulation and taxation. It supports transportation as well as commercial infrastructure.
Blue Origin, an American aerospace manufacturer and provider of suborbital spaceflight services, was also founded by Bezos. By using reusable launch vehicles, the company hopes to lower the cost and increase the dependability of access to space.
8. Elon Musk
The South African city of Pretoria is where Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971. This well-known businessman began his career by creating internet startups. He is the founder and CEO of some of the biggest businesses in the world and has a net worth of $135 billion.
Elon Musk is so influential that everything he says and tweets resonates with world leaders, nations, and everyone else. He currently dominates the automobile and space industries with Tesla and SpaceX, and he can do so even more in the years to come.
With his worldwide internet Star link satellites, he is exercising considerable geopolitical influence. His latest actions on Ukraine demonstrate exactly how much power he now has on a global scale.
9. Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud
Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud was born to the Saudi royal family on August 31, 1985, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He currently serves as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister. It’s possible to put his net worth at up to $25 billion.
He is the most powerful millennial, the ruler of one of the richest nations in the world, and there is no question that he has taken complete control of the nation and consolidated his power. He began an “anti-corruption drive” in November 2017, which resulted in several notable Saudis being detained and compelled to hand over their wealth.
In addition to other reforms, the prince recently changed the law to permit women to drive. He also made it easier for women to attend national cultural events like soccer games and concerts.
10. Bill Gates
American businessman, inventor, and philanthropist Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. He participated in the founding of Microsoft, a revolutionary American computer company.
With an estimated net worth of $113 billion, Bill Gates ranks among the richest people. He was in charge of developing the internet and modern computing, including Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and Internet Explorer.
He has risen to become the second-largest donor to the World Health Organization in the last ten years. He has enormous influence over its agenda thanks to his generosity. One may argue that Gates’ humanitarian activity represents history’s most fruitful midlife crisis.
11. Pope Francis
On December 17, 1936, in the Buenos Aires suburb of Flores, Jorge Mario Bergoglio—better known as Pope Francis—was born. He is the Bishop of Rome, undoubtedly one of the most powerful people in the world with a fortune of $16 million.
In addition to having complete control over all facets of the Diocese of Rome, the Pope is also able to engage in international negotiations and pass legislation. His authority could be compared to that of a prime minister or even a president.
For conflicts between churches or between people, the pope has traditionally served as the final court of appeal. The Pope has power over all of them on a cultural, spiritual, and political level thanks to his approximately 1.3 billion adherents.
12. Donald Trump
On June 14, 1946, at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York, Donald Trump was born. He held the office of president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his net worth is thought to be $3.2 billion.
Trump has gone to tremendous lengths to portray himself as quick-witted and powerful, making a lofty claim upon winning the Republican nomination despite having almost no experience in politics.
According to how most people understand authenticity, Trump is an authentic leader because he says what he means and won’t back down from standing up for what he believes in, even if it offends those who are listening to him.
He has begun his campaign to compete in the 2024 elections in two states where he began his successful campaign in 2016, to regain his presidential power.
13. Barack Obama
On August 4, 1961, Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. From 2009 to 2017, he presided as the 44th president of the United States. He is regarded as a very strong and one of the most powerful people in the world.
He has served out his time with grace and professionalism. Obama’s influence on politics will never diminish. It is a referent power, which is based on a lot of respect and awe.
He has stated that he intended to continue working toward the same objectives after leaving office, but as a private citizen in the public eye. He has made this statement before, during, and even after his Presidency.
14. Charles Koch
On November 1st, 1935, Charles Koch was born in Wichita, Kansas. He is a wealthy American businessman and philanthropist who co-owns Koch Industries and serves as its CEO. His net worth is an astounding $68 billion. One of the most influential people in the world is Charles Koch. His Koch Industries has a wide variety of pursuits. The corporation makes almost everything and is involved in the agriculture, chemicals, energy, technology, and finance sectors.
Charles with his late brother, David, has enormous political sway. To alter the political environment in America, they have donated millions of money. The brothers joined together to form the Tea Party movement and in 2004, they formed the influential conservative group Americans for Prosperity.
15. Antonio Guterres
Antonio Guterres, also known as Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, was born on April 30, 1949, in Lisbon. In 1976, Guterres was chosen to serve a 17-year term in the Portuguese Parliament. Guterres was Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002.
Later, in January 2017, he started serving a five-year tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He occupies one of the most influential roles in the field of international relations as the organization’s “chief administrative officer.”
He is responsible for alerting the Security Council to any issue that, in his judgment, may jeopardize the preservation of global peace and security.
16. Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani was born in Aden (current-day Yemen) on April 19, 1957. He has one of the highest net worths in India at $83 billion. His late father established Reliance in 1966.
The business tycoon succeeded his father as managing director, chairman, and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries (a $104 billion revenue firm with holdings in telecom, oil and gas, retail, and petrochemicals) after his father’s passing in 2002.
He owns the biggest oil refinery in the world. He brought Jio to India, where it quickly rose to become the top mobile service provider and fundamentally alter the country. He is so strong that he can take total control of India’s economy.
17. Warren Buffett
Howard and Leila Buffett gave birth to Warren Buffett on August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. With a net worth of $108 billion, Warren Buffett is among the greatest investors of all time. Warren Buffett owns shares in numerous businesses through his company, Berkshire Hathaway. Coca-Cola, Apple, American Express, and Bank of America are a few of his biggest investments.
He is so powerful that, during the 2008–2009 Financial Crisis, his investment helped preserve the most powerful investment bank in the entire globe.
18. Larry Page
On March 26, 1973, in East Lansing, Michigan, Larry Page was born. He and Sergey Brin co-founded Google Inc. He is unquestionably among the most influential and most powerful people in the world with a net worth of $105 billion. Larry Page has access to all of the world’s “data,” which he can analyze at any time to get intricate information. Everyone who uses Google and stores their information in emails, clouds, searches, and phones contributes to the data. He is highly powerful just based on this one criterion.
Larry Page has shown a willingness to invest in outrageously expensive and ambitious projects, such as building a subsidiary to address mortality and a quantum computer to address issues like teleportation.
19. Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell was born in 1953 in Washington, D.C. He is one of the most influential people in both the U.S. government and the world economy. He is the chairman of America’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
The federal debt ceiling was raised in 2011, enabling the United States government to borrow more money and prevent a default on the country’s debt. Powell assisted in brokering the deal. Without causing the economy to enter a recession, Powell wants to reduce inflation. Under Powell’s plan, the inflation rate decreased from 9.1% to 7.7% between June 2022 and October 2022.
20. Mark Zuckerberg
On May 14th, 1984, Mark Zuckerberg was born in New York. He is a well-known young internet entrepreneur who, with four of his Harvard pals, established the social media behemoth Facebook Inc. (now Meta Inc.). At the age of just 23, he became the world’s youngest billionaire in 2007. His estimated current net worth is $70 billion.
Despite continuing to sell shares in his company, Zuckerberg has maintained full operational control of his company by establishing various share classes with varying voting rights. Several platforms with more than a billion active users are completely under his control. He has a lot of power just because of it.
Conclusion
These individuals, despite their enormous power, have been under intense scrutiny for their political or corporate decisions; yet, their achievements serve as models of overcoming all obstacles. They will be remembered for their impact on society, regardless of their life narrative. Hopefully, you enjoyed our list of the top 20 most powerful people in the world. Do you have any ideas for more people who should be on this list? Comment below with your thoughts and let us know.
I am Mohana Sarma, a full time content writer and editor. I have experience of more than 2 years in the writing field. I began my content writing journey by working for a local newspaper. Soon after that, I began working as a content writer on a full-time basis. I have worked in different niches such as education, health, technology, finance, management, etc. Apart from writing, I am really into music, movies, and traveling.