The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is at the top of the ranking of the American publication “Forbes“ of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The ranking is published annually at the end of the year and this is its 22nd edition, BTA reported.
In second place is the head of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde. In third place in the ranking is Sanae Takaichi, the first female prime minister of Japan. In fourth place is the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In fifth place is the President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum.
Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva, who heads the International Monetary Fund, is in 17th position.
Singer Taylor Swift, who broke the record with sales of her albums and tour tickets, is in 21st place. Popular American TV host Oprah Winfrey is in 30th position. Singer Beyonce is in 33rd place. Socialite Kim Kardashian is in 71st place.
Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo Judith Suminua Tuluka is in 78th place, followed by Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitua, in 79th place.
Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen is in 84th place, while Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene is in 81st place. Mia Mottley, who is the Prime Minister of Barbados, is in 99th place.
In total, the “Forbes“ list includes women from 25 countries around the world, including female politicians, heads of international organizations and structures, heads of various companies, cultural and media figures, women who have achieved records in the field of finance. The distinguished ladies are in six areas of influence - politics, philanthropy, business and finance, technology, media, show business and culture
For the first time, representatives of Lithuania and Namibia are included in the ranking. Many women in the ranking lead technology companies, many of them are engaged in the development of artificial intelligence. In total, the companies of the women in the ranking have revenues of $ 4.9 trillion and employ over 9.3 billion people. They make up over half of global GDP.
The ranking shows in particular that female bosses and founders of companies occupy 44 percent of it.
The list includes 13 billionaires with a total fortune of $ 180.5 billion compared to $ 163.7 billion in 2024. Among these billionaires are Jeff Bezos' ex-wife - philanthropist and businesswoman MacKenzie Scott (11th place), philanthropist Melinda Gates (13th place), Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, etc.
Despite all the obstacles that women around the world faced in 2025, namely job losses comparable to those during the pandemic, worsening toxic attitudes towards them on the Internet and offensive comments by Donald Trump towards female reporters, some of the women on the “Forbes“ list have proven to be examples of resilience in turbulent times, says a publication of the publication on the occasion of the annual ranking, citing Sanae Takaichi, MacKenzie Scott or Kim Kardashian as examples.