2. Angela Merkel
In Forbes' list of 73 individuals, ranking second is Merkel, the German Chancellor. Merkel is one of only nine women among the 73 people on the Forbes list, and has risen from fifth place last year. Her pre-eminence in Europe, particularly in respect to negotiations with Greece, coupled with her influential handling of the refugee crisis, have seen her rise in the rankings. She has also been named by the magazine as the most powerful woman in the world for the past 10 years.
3. Barack Obama
The outgoing US President, who steps down following November 2016 elections, has become the first ever sitting US leader not to be in the top two. His ouster by Merkel, and his trailing of Vladimir Putin, reflects partially his policy of avoiding getting America entangled in further foreign wars, and partially his own status as a president coming to the end of his term. Bill Clinton is the only former president to make the list, at 64th place. Presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are on this year's rankings.
4. Pope Francis
The Argentine Pontiff's position is unmoved on this year's list, and the past 12 months have seen the 78-year-old continue to travel the world and surprise people. His visit to the US and Cuba in September was greeted by wild crowds, and his comments on climate change, immigration and persecution in the Middle East have seen him set the news agenda.
5. Xi Jinping
China's 62-year-old leader has been described as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. His assertive positioning in the South China Sea, rare address to the UN General Assembly, and high international profile have kept him in the headlines, as has his visit last month to Britain. This week he will become the first ever Chinese leader to meet his counterpart in Taiwan.
6.Bill Gates
The world's richest man is not just on the Forbes list for his US$79.9 billion fortune. The Microsoft founder is also recognised for the work of his charitable foundation, which aims to reduce inequality and cure diseases. So far the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent more than US$30 billion, and made enormous strides in healthcare - particularly in almost totally eradicating polio.
7. Janet Yellen
Yellen, 69, made history in 2014 when she became the first woman to be in charge of the Federal Reserve. Since then she has played a hugely high-profile and influential role; Forbes says that "a single word from Yellen can send asset prices swinging".
8. David Cameron
The British Prime Minister's stock has risen two places over the past year, helped by an unexpected triumph in the May election. Forbes says the 49-year-old has been noted for his fondness for Twitter, and for selfies - "most famously the shot with Barack Obama and then Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandela's memorial service in 2013".
9. Narendra Modi
India's leader has been in the spotlight far more than his predecessor; meeting Xi and Obama, and travelling to Silicon Valley to woo tech investors to his country. Presiding over 1.2 billion people, he holds enormous weight at home and has promised a package of reforms which he is trying to push through.
10. Larry Page
Page, the CEO of Alphabet, co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998, and has gone on to become one of the richest and most influential people in technology. The 42-year-old, with an estimated fortune of US$37.6 billion, is now in charge of Alphabet - a new publicly traded parent company that includes Google, the Google X lab, and businesses such as Calico, Nest and Fiber.
