Forbes names the world’s most powerful women of 2019 – Karen Gilchrist
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named the world’s most powerful woman for the ninth year running in a wide-ranging list intended to celebrate the 100 most influential females of this year.
Forbes’ 2019 edition of its World’s Most Powerful Women, released Thursday, marked a return for the German leader, who has made 14 appearances in the list’s 16-year history.
Merkel was joined in the top spots by fellow prominent female political leaders.
Christine Lagarde moved up one place this year to second position after taking over a president of the European Central Bank. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative, Nancy Pelosi, took third place and Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission, fourth. The top five was rounded out by General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde speaks during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on November 7, 2018.Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images
This year’s top 100 females list featured women from six categories — business (31), technology (17), finance (12), media & entertainment (14), politics & policy (22) and philanthropy (4). Together, they control or influence more than $2.3 trillion in revenue and oversee nearly 6.5 million employees.
To determine the women’s rank within each category, as well as overall, Forbes applied four metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence. The publisher defined power as hard power (currencies and constitutions), dynamic power (audiences, communities and creative influence) and soft power (what leaders do with their influence).Our 2019 listees remind us of the huge strides that have been made by women, and the great opportunity they have to define the decade ahead.Moira ForbesExecutive vice president, Forbes
Forbes’ executive vice president and president of ForbesWomen, Moira Forbes, said the list highlights the impressive strides women have made to upend traditional gender stereotypes over the past decade.
“This year’s list of World’s Most Powerful Women is a collection of innovators and instigators who are leading on the world stage to redefine traditional power structures and forge lasting impact in every industry and sphere of influence,” she said.
“As we come to the close of the current decade, our 2019 listees remind us of the huge strides that have been made by women, and the great opportunity they have to define the decade ahead,” Forbes added.
Youth activist Greta Thunberg speaks at the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations on September 23, 2019 in New York City. While the United States will not be participating, China and about 70 other countries are expected to make announcements concerning climate change.Stephanie Keith | Getty Images
The 2019 list spans seven generations and 32 countries and territories.
Environmental activist and Time’s 2019 Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg, who ranked in 100th place, became the youngest person in the list’s history at the age of 16. She was ranked in 100th place. Queen Elizabeth (40th) was among the eldest.
Other list debuts were made by Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF (15th); Jessica Tan, co-CEO, CIO and COO of Ping An Group (22nd); Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister (34th); and singer/songwriter and entrepreneur Rihanna (61).
Overall, North America accounted for the greatest number of honorees at 50. It was followed by Asia Pacific (21), Europe (23), the Middle East (3), Latin America (2), and Africa (1).
The Full List of the 100 Most Powerful women in the world 2019
Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam.
| Rank | Name | Age | Country/ Territory | Category |
| #1 | Angela Merkel | 65 | Germany | – |
| #2 | Christine Lagarde | 63 | France | – |
| #3 | Nancy Pelosi | 79 | United States | – |
| #4 | Ursula von der Leyen | 61 | Belgium | – |
| #5 | Mary Barra | 57 | United States | – |
| #6 | Melinda Gates | 55 | United States | – |
| #7 | Abigail Johnson | 57 | United States | – |
| #8 | Ana Patricia Botín | 59 | Spain | – |
| #9 | Ginni Rometty | 62 | United States | Enterprise Technology |
| #10 | Marillyn Hewson | 65 | United States | – |
| #11 | Gail Boudreaux | 59 | United States | – |
| #12 | Susan Wojcicki | 51 | United States | – |
| #13 | Isabelle Kocher | 53 | France | – |
| #14 | Safra Catz | 58 | United States | – |
| #15 | Kristalina Georgieva | 66 | Bulgaria | – |
| #16 | Julie Sweet | 51 | United States | – |
| #17 | Emma Walmsley | 50 | United Kingdom | – |
| #18 | Sheryl Sandberg | 50 | United States | – |
| #19 | Ruth Porat | 62 | United States | – |
| #20 | Oprah Winfrey | 65 | United States | – |
| #21 | Judith McKenna | 53 | United States | – |
| #22 | Jessica Tan | – | China | – |
| #23 | Ho Ching | 66 | Singapore | – |
| #24 | Phebe Novakovic | 61 | United States | – |
| #25 | Shari Redstone | 65 | United States | – |
| #26 | Amy Hood | 47 | United States | – |
| #27 | Stacey Cunningham | 45 | United States | – |
| #28 | Jessica Uhl | 51 | – | – |
| #29 | Sheikh Hasina Wajed | 72 | Bangladesh | – |
| #30 | Adena Friedman | 50 | United States | – |
| #31 | Mary Callahan Erdoes | 52 | United States | – |
| #32 | Jane Fraser | 52 | United States | – |
| #33 | Laurene Powell Jobs | 56 | United States | – |
| #34 | Nirmala Sitharaman | – | – | – |
| #35 | Marianne Lake | 50 | United Kingdom | – |
| #36 | Gina Rinehart | 65 | Australia | – |
| #37 | Kathy Warden | – | United States | – |
| #38 | Jacinda Ardern | 39 | New Zealand | – |
| #39 | Anne Finucane | – | United States | – |
| #40 | Queen Elizabeth II | 93 | United Kingdom | – |
| #41 | Tsai Ing-wen | 63 | Taiwan | – |
| #42 | Ivanka Trump | 38 | United States | – |
| #43 | Rosalind Brewer | 56 | United States | – |
| #44 | Mingzhu Dong | 65 | China | – |
| #45 | Erna Solberg | 58 | Norway | – |
| #46 | Dana Walden | 55 | United States | – |
| #47 | Vicki Hollub | – | United States | – |
| #48 | Jennifer Salke | – | United States | – |
| #49 | Jennifer Morgan | 48 | United States | – |
| #50 | Nicola Sturgeon | 49 | United Kingdom | – |
| #51 | Donna Langley | 51 | United Kingdom | – |
| #52 | Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao | 49 | Vietnam | – |
| #53 | Elvira Nabiullina | 56 | Russia | – |
| #54 | Roshni Nadar Malhotra | 38 | India | – |
| #55 | Gwynne Shotwell | 56 | United States | Aerospace |
| #56 | Tricia Griffith | 55 | United States | – |
| #57 | Maggie Wei Wu | 51 | China | – |
| #58 | Feng Ying Wang | – | China | – |
| #59 | Lynn Good | – | United States | – |
| #60 | Paula Santilli | – | Mexico | – |
| #61 | Rihanna | 31 | Barbados | – |
| #62 | Melanie Kreis | 48 | Germany | – |
| #63 | Hooi Ling Tan | – | Malaysia | – |
| #64 | Bonnie Hammer | 69 | United States | – |
| #65 | Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw | 66 | India | – |
| #66 | Beyoncé Knowles | 38 | United States | – |
| #67 | Zhou Qunfei | 49 | Hong Kong | – |
| #68 | Sophie Wilmes | 44 | Belgium | – |
| #69 | Jane Jie Sun | 51 | China | – |
| #70 | Katharine Viner | 47 | United Kingdom | – |
| #71 | Taylor Swift | 30 | United States | – |
| #72 | Judy Faulkner | 76 | United States | – |
| #73 | Güler Sabanci | 64 | Turkey | – |
| #74 | Kathleen Kennedy | – | United States | – |
| #75 | Mette Frederiksen | – | – | – |
| #76 | Sri Mulyani Indrawati | 57 | Indonesia | – |
| #77 | Andrea Marques de Almeida | – | – | – |
| #78 | Solina Chau | 57 | Hong Kong | – |
| #79 | Ava DuVernay | 47 | United States | – |
| #80 | Zuzana Caputova | – | – | – |
| #81 | Serena Williams | 38 | United States | – |
| #82 | Mary Meeker | 60 | United States | – |
| #83 | Lam Wai Ying | – | Hong Kong | – |
| #84 | Raja Easa Al Gurg | – | United Arab Emirates | – |
| #85 | Eliza Manningham-Buller | 71 | United Kingdom | – |
| #86 | Jenny Lee | 47 | Singapore | – |
| #87 | Lee Boo-jin | 49 | South Korea | – |
| #88 | Ana Brnabic | 44 | Serbia | – |
| #89 | Meg Whitman | 63 | United States | – |
| #90 | Reese Witherspoon | 43 | United States | – |
| #91 | Anne Wojcicki | 46 | United States | – |
| #92 | Aileen Lee | 49 | United States | – |
| #93 | Sahle-Work Zewde | – | Ethiopia | – |
| #94 | Dominique Senequier | 66 | France | – |
| #95 | Kirsten Green | 48 | United States | – |
| #96 | Renuka Jagtiani | – | – | – |
| #97 | Rania Nashar | – | Saudi Arabia | – |
| #98 | Amina Mohammed | – | – | – |
| #99 | Margarita Louis-Dreyfus | 57 | Switzerland | – |
| #100 Greta Thunberg | Greta Thunberg |
