There are more than 7.4 billion people on planet Earth, but only a very few of them have the ability to change the world. Forbes magazine presents rating of the most influential people in the world... The selection of participants was made according to the following criteria: the number of people over whom the candidate has power; fortune and fame.
10. Mark Zuckerberg
The youngest influencer on the planet, according to Forbes. Mark is only 32 years old, while the other participants are already in their sixties on average. In 2016, he made a breakthrough, moving up 9 positions in the rankings, and also became of the year. For all his wealth (and Mark is worth $ 50 billion), Zuckerberg and his wife do not forget about charity. In September 2016, he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to spend $ 3 billion to eradicate all diseases in the world by the end of the century.
9. Narendra Modi
The popularity of Narendra among the people of India is growing more and more. It was not hurt even by the sudden anti-corruption monetary reform. In November 2016, the 66-year-old prime minister suddenly ordered the cancellation of two Indian bills of the highest denomination, forcing the population to storm the exchange offices.
8. Larry Page
The eighth position is occupied by the developer of the world famous search engine Google. Google was reorganized last year to become a subsidiary of the Alphabet group. Larry serves as chairman of the board there.
7. Bill Gates
A man worth 83.8 billion dollars can afford extravagant gestures - for example, organize a chicken coop in one of Manhattan's skyscrapers. But do not think badly - this is all in the framework of the fight against poverty. Bill Gates is simply fascinated by chickens and believes that raising these animals is a sure way for the African population to get out of poverty.
6. Janet Yellen
American economist and head of the US Federal Reserve System, which is engaged in the fact that he exercises control over the activities of banks and other financial institutions. Her popularity among ordinary Americans is added by the fact that Janet prefers to express herself as clearly, clearly and understandably as possible, which makes her one of the.
5. Pope Francis
The only religious leader and the oldest participant in the ranking of the most influential people on the planet. Pope Francis is already 79 years old! However, he is quite cheerful and continues to inspire his giant flock (according to statistics - 1.3 billion people).
4. Xi Jinping
Since the beginning of his presidency in 2012, Xi Jinping has embarked on a course of reform and anti-corruption. The Chinese leader's popularity is also enhanced by his unconventional openness for China - for example, he recently allowed a detailed description of a day in his life to be published in the media.
3. Angela Merkel
Forbes regards Merkel as the last bastion of the liberal west on Russia's growing influence. In 2016, Angela, as a supporter of the European Union, had to cope with the consequences of Brexit, and she also needed to somehow assimilate the migrants who had flooded Germany, whose number has already exceeded a million. In 2017, the Germans will have parliamentary elections, the result of which will show how the German people assess Merkel's policies.
2. Donald Trump
An unexpected result - the first billionaire in office took only second place in the top 10 most influential people in 2016. One gets the impression that some Americans, especially the middle and upper class, who traditionally adhere to liberal values, are ashamed of their president. True, they prefer to vent their anger not directly, but on Trump's wife and children. Donald himself promises to completely surrender himself to presidential affairs, and entrust the management of his entire vast real estate empire to his children.
1. Vladimir Putin
The Russian president has long arms - he reached out not only to Syria, but even to the United States! Rumor has it that Donald Trump is the Kremlin's henchman, and the scandal of alleged interference in the elections by Russian hackers has only turned the heat into the furnace of fears that have been dragging on since the Cold War. Both Putin and Trump, of course, deny their involvement in each other's political affairs, but not everyone believes them.
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The planet's population is growing daily, and we have already reached the 7 billion mark. However, not everyone can boast of being able to change the course of history. On our planet, only a small percentage of such people are a kind of elite, people who have reached unprecedented heights and are "at the helm" of world development.
The authoritative edition of Forbes constantly compiles a selection of the most influential people on the planet. Participants are selected based on a pivot table. Surprisingly, the selection conditions are very simple: applicants are compared by the number of people who are subject to them and popularity.
The most influential people in the world for 2017, according to Forbes:
Mark Zuckerberg
The last place is occupied by Mark Zuckerberg. He is the youngest representative of this rating. The founder of Facebook is only 32 years old, and he has already reached unprecedented heights. He is also the youngest member of the TOP 10 richest people in the world.
Surprisingly, it is almost twice as young as its main competitors. This year, the billionaire has significantly improved his position and from the end of the twenty has confidently entered the top ten.
At the moment, his fortune is estimated at $ 59 billion. However, the young businessman does not suffer from star fever at all and leads a very modest life. He also donates substantial sums to charity.
Mark said that by the end of this year he wants to donate $ 3 billion to some kind of charity - the structure that will receive the investment, is engaged in the eradication of all current diseases on Earth.
Narenda Modi
The penultimate is Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi. Every year it turns out to be more and more successful for Modi. Popularity among Indians is growing steadily.
It is noteworthy that even a harsh financial reform did not diminish his popularity. Painful changes were made as part of the fight against corrupt officials. In the fall of 2016, the prime minister issued an order annulling the two most nominal bills.
Larry Page
A well-known figure on the Internet, because it is Larry who is one of the main developers of the best search engine Google. In 2016, the company was completely reorganized and now Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet. Larry is elected to the post of chairman of the board.
Bill Gates
Larry was overtaken by an equally famous person - Bill Gates. He is the creator of the world famous Windows company, which is a world leader in software development. The richest man in the world, with a fortune exceeding $ 80 billion.
Janet Yellen
Leading US economist, Janet Yellen, is practically in the middle of our top. Concurrently, she is also the head of the US Federal Reserve System. She controls all activities of banking and other financial institutions.
It's funny, but she is very popular among ordinary Americans. This is due to her simple approach and ability to clearly state her thoughts in an accessible form.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis, head of the Vatican, is ranked fifth. He is also the oldest member of the TOP, because he recently turned 80 years old.
It is worth noting that a respectable age does not at all prevent Francis from maintaining a huge amount of vital energy and inspiring people on the right path. After all, it is he who directs a huge flock to perform various benefits.
Xi Jinping
The fourth place is taken by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. In 2012, he was elected to the post and immediately set to work in the country. He became famous for his fight against corruption. The population is extremely supportive of his activities, due to the high degree of openness.
Angela Merkel
It is quite predictable that Angela Merkel entered the top three this year. He is a very unusual personality, but at the same time remains a prominent figure in political life.
The German Chancellor, according to Forbes, can rival Russia's influence in the West. The ambitious politician was able to relieve tension within the European Union and dealt with the huge crowds of emigrants that flooded into Germany.
Donald Trump
The second place is confidently taken by Donald Trump. Beating his predecessor, Barack Obama, who fell to forty-eighth after the third place, Trump confidently entered the ten most influential people on the planet.
We will remind that earlier Trump was at the very bottom of the rating, but the rapid rise provided him with the presidency.
The ambitious politician who came to power with the slogan "Make America Great Again" immediately got to work.
Vladimir Putin
The first place in the rating is occupied by Vladimir Putin. According to Forbes, he is the most influential person in the world. Taking the first mark for the fourth time in a row, the politician proved that he is deservedly considered the most famous and popular person, whose influence on society simply cannot be denied.
1. President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping
This year, the Forbes list was topped by the leader of the world's most populous country, Xi Jinping. Returning to the post of chairman of the PRC in 2012, he soon began reforms and implementation of his program "China Dream" - the concept of development of the PRC until 2049.
2.President of Russia Vladimir Putin
Photo: Alexander Zemlyanichenko / Reuters
Putin topped the list of the most influential people for four years in a row - from 2013 to 2016. He also found himself among the leaders this year, in large part due to the investigation into Russian interference, which allegedly helped Donald Trump in the US presidential elections.
3. US President Donald Trump
In January 2017, Trump became the first billionaire in US history to be elected president. He remains the owner of New York City Manhattan buildings, golf courses and wineries, and is one of America's richest men.
4. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
In 2005, Merkel became the first female chancellor in German history. In 2017, she won the election again and remained in power for a fourth term. The media called this victory a failure, 364 out of 688 deputies voted for it in the Bundestag.
5. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, USA
6. Pope Francis
Pope Francis, after his election, launched the process of transforming the conservative image of the Catholic Church. Along with world leaders, he advocates for reform in the field of climate change, improving the living conditions of refugees, and against the persecution of religious minorities.
7. Microsoft founder Bill Gates
Gates sold or gave away most of his stake in Microsoft and today owns just over 1% of the shares. He remains on the board of the company he founded with Paul Allen in 1975. In recent years, Gates and his wife Melinda have focused on philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation they created remains the world's largest private philanthropic foundation. At the end of 2016, Gates and other billionaires announced the launch of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a long-term, high-risk investment that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed ibn Salman Al Saud
Despite the fact that the king of the country remains Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, in fact, Muhammad ibn Salman Al Saud is in charge. In November 2017, he spearheaded an anti-corruption campaign in which many of the richest Saudis were arrested and forced to return the unpaid to the treasury. Ten Saudi billionaires have been delisted from Forbes' annual list of billionaires.
9.Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
Modi is one of the most popular Indian politicians in recent years. The head of the second most populous country in the world meets regularly with world leaders and has become a key figure in the fight against climate change.
10. Google search engine co-founder Larry Page, USA
Larry Page founded Google in 1998 with Stanford graduate student Sergei Brin. He remained the CEO of the company until 2001, then took up product development and returned to the CEO position in 2011. Today, he focuses on leading Google parent Alphabet, Calico, an independent biotech research company founded in 2013, and many other projects.
The annual rating of the American most authoritative financial and economic magazine Forbes has identified 74 people whose actions have an impact on the whole world. Putin has once again cemented his leadership by topping the list of the most influential people in the world. Recall that the President of the Russian Federation has been at the top of the list for 4 years. To compile the list, the editorial board of the magazine analyzed hundreds of candidates around the world and identified world leaders according to four criteria.
TOP 5 most influential people in the world
1. Vladimir Putin
According to the editorial board, Putin is one of the few world leaders who does what he wants and achieves his goal. Russia, Syria, even the election of the American president - the Russian leader is not ignored, and his actions, one way or another, influence the course of events. Putin's approval rating reaches an all-time high, rebuilding Russian influence abroad every year.
2. Donald Trump
President-elect of the United States and the first billionaire head who, in a short period, has managed to make a powerful impact on the political picture of America. Immunity to scandals and strong support from Congress, along with its own financial resources, amounting to billions of dollars, put Trump in second place in the ranking.
3. Angela Merkel
One of six high-ranking and influential women in the world on the list, taking an honorable third place. Angela Merkel is the German Chancellor and the most powerful pillar of the European Union. She made her country a leader in the EU, and she herself became the most powerful woman politician in the world.
4. Xi Jinping
The Chinese statesman and politician, while the world states are busy with internal political problems, is actively developing a project to spread the influence of China to every corner of the planet.
The spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics and an active peaceful politician rounds out the top five world leaders. 
Changes in the ranking compared to 2015
Billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who managed to climb to the 58th line, became the Russian representative and participant in the rating. The last year of Barack Obama's presidency, as predicted, weakened his influence and moved him to 48th in the rating. According to one of the criteria - own financial flows, which are controlled by the candidate - the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, took 7th place. The King of Saudi Arabia Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, who owns 20% of the world's oil reserves, was considered in the same direction. He was ranked 16th. The new ranking includes 11 newcomers who were not previously included in the list. Theresa May - Prime Minister of Great Britain - is one of them, who took 13th place. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who previously appeared on the 2011 list, joined the newcomers. Today it occupies 56th position. UN Secretary General António Guterres was re-included in the list 7 years later, being awarded 36th place. 
Out of influential women, Janet Yellen, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve, was awarded 6th place, and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was awarded 25th place. One of the youngest participants in the ranking, ranked 10th, was 32-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, a developer and founder of the social network Facebook. The 43rd place was taken by the supreme leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un (33 years old). Forbes claims that the “influencer” rating is a subjective list of the world's elite. These are strong personalities who really "rule the world", but their positions may weaken with the arrival of more powerful and influential candidates.
“The Russian president has an impact on almost every corner of the planet. At home, in Syria and in the presidential elections, the United States continues to achieve what he wants, ”the newspaper writes.
The Russian factor became central to the American election debate after the Democratic Party, which ran for the presidency, admitted that anonymous hackers had compromised their servers. After a short time, a number of American intelligence services linked the cyberattack with Russia and, in particular, the Kremlin.
Leaks from confidential Democratic correspondence damaged the image and became one of the factors that brought down Clinton's rating and led to the victory of Republican Donald Trump. Trump himself, already the elected President of the United States, meanwhile, does not hide that he is going to establish contact with Vladimir Putin and again consider the issue of annexing Crimea to Russia.
Recently, Trump-linked financier Carter Page visited Moscow, who also spoke publicly about the Crimean issue in a conciliatory manner.
“With a likely ally like the White House, Putin’s power could become limitless for years to come,” writes Forbes.
The general director of the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, APEC, believes that covering the topic of Putin's influence on the American elections helped his credibility, regardless of how real that influence was. “The fact that this was being discussed strengthened its image positioning,” the interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru is sure.
Orlov also notes the role of Russia in politics in the Middle East, in particular, in the Syrian campaign. “Putin, possessing, in general, little resources and playing against several opponents, managed to win,” he said.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain is in 13th place, the President of France is in 23rd, and the Prime Minister of Japan is in 37th.
58th place went to Russian businessman Alisher y, the owner.
Usmanov is also the richest businessman in Russia after and.
The current US President Barack Obama is only 48th on this list. “Obama leaves office during a global coup; the wave of populism caused political instability in Europe, the beginning of the crisis was laid by the June 2016 Brexit, ”writes Forbes in a comment.
Political analyst Vyacheslav believes that Putin topped the rating at a good moment. “Everything is logical. Former US President Barack Obama is no longer the most influential, and his successor, Donald Trump, is not yet influential, ”the Gazeta.Ru source said.
However, the expert clarifies that this does not mean that the future American leader in the future will necessarily outstrip Putin, it is just that now the Russian president has no alternative for the one who made the rating.
According to Smirnov, the influence of heads of state can be compared with the influence of heads of companies. It is clear that the larger and more influential the company is, the heavier the leader is. But another question is how influential he is personally and determines the entire policy of his company.
“In America, after all, the president is a product of the system. He expresses not his own opinion, but the opinion of the opposing groups. In Russia, on the contrary, everyone supports the opinion of a single ruler, ”Smirnov comments.
