The 30 Most Powerful Person in the World 2025

Power shapes our lives in countless ways, from the policies that govern us to the technologies we use. It is the power to influence, make decisions that affect millions, and encourage others to follow the same.

Power comes in many forms:

• Political leaders hold the reins of nations, shaping global affairs.
• Business leaders drive innovation and steer the economy.
• Spiritual leaders guide beliefs and values, offering solace and direction.

This list explores these three distinct categories. It’s a snapshot of the influential figures who are shaping our world right now, in 2025.

Remember, there is no single most powerful person in the world.

Since power is constantly shifting, new leaders emerge all the time. But this glimpse offers a fascinating look at the individuals who hold immense sway over our world. 

List of 30 Most Powerful People in the World 2025

The Top 10 Most Powerful Political Leaders in the World Are As Follows:

1. Xi Jinping

• Country – China
• Title – President of the People’s Republic of China, General Secretary of the Communist Party
• Birth Year – 1953

Xi Jinping, the President of China, is the most powerful person in the world 2025. As the leader of the world’s second-largest economy and a nuclear superpower, Xi holds unmatched influence over global politics, trade, and security. Since taking office in 2013, he has consolidated power through sweeping reforms, anti-corruption drives, and assertive foreign policy.

Under Xi’s leadership, China has strengthened its technological, military, and geopolitical reach through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). His vision of a “Chinese Dream” aims to restore national strength and global prominence, positioning China as a central player in shaping the 21st-century world order.

2. Vladimir Putin

• Country – Russia
• Title – President of the Russian Federation
• Birth Year – 1952

As President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has redefined Russia’s position through strong nationalist policies and assertive foreign strategies. His leadership combines a focus on military strength, economic resilience, and political control.

Despite international sanctions and criticism, Putin’s influence remains across Eurasia, the Middle East, and energy markets. His ability to maintain power domestically while shaping international security and diplomacy makes him one of the most powerful man in the world.

3. Donald Trump

• Country – United States
• Title – President of the United States
• Birth Year – 1946

Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 has reaffirmed his position as one of the most influential figures in global politics. His leadership style continues to challenge conventional diplomacy and redefine America’s global strategy.

Trump’s policies focus on economic nationalism, border control, and an “America First” doctrine. While controversial, his ability to command public attention and shape global scenarios on trade, tariffs, security, and technology ensures his dominance internationally.

4. Angela Merkel

• Country – Germany
• Title – Former Chancellor of Germany
• Birth Year – 1954

Angela Merkel, who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, is one of the 50 most popular women in the world. She is known for her straightforward leadership and calm diplomacy and has guided Europe through major crises, including the Eurozone debt crisis, migration challenges, and global pandemics.

Even in retirement, her legacy continues to influence European Union policies and global economic strategies. Merkel’s scientific background and steady decision-making made her a symbol of stability and rational governance.

5. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud

• Country – Saudi Arabia
• Title – Crown Prince & Prime Minister
• Birth Year – 1985

Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and a transformative force in the Middle East. As the architect of Vision 2030, he has launched bold reforms to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil dependence and modernize its social structure.

Under his leadership, Saudi Arabia has pursued ambitious projects in technology, tourism, and renewable energy while expanding its geopolitical influence. Though controversial, MBS’s assertive diplomacy and modernization efforts have redefined the Saudi’s role in global economics and regional politics.

6. Narendra Modi

• Country – India
• Title – Prime Minister
• Birth Year – 1950

Narendra Modi is one of the most influential leaders in Asia, shaping India’s rise as a global power. Since becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has focused on economic growth, cultural identity, infrastructure expansion, and digital transformation under initiatives like Make in India and Digital India.

His leadership style, characterized by strong nationalism and smart diplomacy, has elevated India’s presence in international forums such as the G20 and BRICS.

7. Jerome H. Powell

• Country – United States
• Title – Chair of the Federal Reserve
• Birth Year – 1953

Jerome H. Powell holds one of the most powerful financial positions in the world as the Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. His policies influence global interest rates, inflation, and economic stability. Powell’s steady leadership through economic problems, including the post-pandemic period, has earned him respect among global markets and policymakers alike.

By maintaining U.S. monetary policy during inflationary pressures and uncertainty, Powell plays the main role in maintaining confidence in the world’s largest economy. His decisions affect every major financial system worldwide, giving him immense political and economic importance.

8. Emmanuel Macron

• Country – France
• Title – President of France
• Birth Year – 1977

Emmanuel Macron is the youngest President in French history and Europe’s most prominent political voice. His centrist policies focus on European unity, climate leadership, and technological innovation.

Macron continues to play a crucial role in shaping the European Union’s foreign and defense policies. His efforts to balance diplomacy between Western powers and emerging nations prove his influence in redefining Europe’s global role.

9. Theresa May

• Country – United Kingdom
• Title – Former Prime Minister
• Birth Year – 1956

Theresa May, who served as the UK’s Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019, remains a respected stateswoman and influential voice in British and international politics. She led the country through the initial phases of Brexit, demonstrating resilience amid intense political division.

Since leaving office, May has continued her engagement in global policy discussions, advocating for women’s rights, democracy, and cybersecurity. Her steady leadership during one of Britain’s most challenging political transitions continues to define her global reputation.

10. Benjamin Netanyahu

• Country – Israel
• Title – Prime Minister
• Birth Year – 1949

Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister and a defining figure in Middle Eastern politics. His leadership has been marked by security-focused policies, economic growth, and assertive diplomacy in regional and international affairs.

Netanyahu continues to influence Israel’s position on defense, technology, and smart alliances, while maintaining democracy, governance, and regional stability. His ability to overcome complex domestic and international challenges secures his role as one of the most powerful political leaders in 2025.

The Top 10 Most Powerful Business Leaders in the World Are As Follows:

1. Jeff Bezos

• Designation – Founder & Executive Chairman
• Company – Amazon
• Country – United States
• Industry – E-commerce, Technology, Space

Jeff Bezos is the most powerful person in the world when it comes to business leaders. He transformed the global retail with Amazon, the world’s largest online marketplace. Bezos expanded Amazon beyond books into cloud computing, entertainment, logistics, and artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Amazon became a trillion-dollar company, reshaping consumer behavior and global supply chains.

Beyond Amazon, Bezos’s ventures like Blue Origin, his private aerospace company. His focus on space exploration, sustainability, and next-generation technology continues to influence the future of global business and entrepreneurship.

2. Bill Gates

• Designation – Co-founder & Former CEO
• Company – Microsoft Corporation
• Country – United States
• Industry – Technology, Philanthropy

Bill Gates remains one of the most respected business leaders in modern history. As the co-founder of Microsoft, he revolutionized personal computing and software accessibility worldwide.

In recent years, Gates has focused his attention on global philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working on health, education, and climate innovation. His blend of entrepreneurial brilliance and humanitarian focus makes him a renowned figure in both business and global development.

3. Larry Page

• Designation – Co-founder & Board Member
• Company – Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company)
• Country – United States
• Industry – Technology, Internet Services

Larry Page co-founded Google, the world’s most powerful search engine. His vision of organizing the world’s information has transformed how people access knowledge, communicate, and conduct business online. Page’s innovations extend into AI, autonomous vehicles, and life sciences through Alphabet’s portfolio.

Under his leadership, Google evolved from a search platform into a multifaceted tech giant powering advertising, cloud computing, and mobile ecosystems. His commitment to bold, research-driven innovation continues to shape the future of global technology.

4. Mark Zuckerberg

• Designation – Co-founder, Chairman & CEO
• Company – Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook)
• Country – United States
• Industry – Social Media, Technology, Virtual Reality

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook at just 19, changing how billions of people connect and share information. Today, as the CEO of Meta, he is leading the company’s transition toward the metaverse with his “Superintelligent team” of scientists and engineers.

Zuckerberg shapes global communication and digital interaction through Meta, which encompasses Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Despite controversies over privacy and data ethics, Zuckerberg remains an untouched leader in technology, pushing the boundaries of social connection and digital experience.

5. Warren Buffett

• Designation – Chairman & CEO
• Company – Berkshire Hathaway
• Country – United States
• Industry – Investments, Conglomerate

Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in history. His disciplined approach to value investing has built Berkshire Hathaway into a global conglomerate owning companies in insurance, energy, railroads, and consumer goods.

Buffett’s philosophy, which focuses on long-term growth, ethical leadership, and financial literacy, has influenced generations of investors. Despite his immense wealth, his humility and commitment to philanthropy, including the Giving Pledge, have earned him respect far beyond Wall Street.

6. Mario Draghi

• Designation – Former Prime Minister of Italy & Former President
• Company – European Central Bank (ECB)
• Country – Italy
• Industry – Finance, Economic Policy

Mario Draghi is celebrated as one of the most influential economic leaders in modern Europe. As the former President of the European Central Bank, he was instrumental in stabilizing the Eurozone during the 2012 financial crisis, famously vowing to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro.

His leadership later extended to Italian politics, where he served as Prime Minister, guiding the country through post-pandemic recovery efforts. Draghi’s deep understanding of finance, policy, and global economics positions him as a trusted voice in international economic governance.

7. Jamie Dimon

• Designation – Chairman & CEO
• Company – JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Country – United States
• Industry – Banking, Finance

Jamie Dimon is one of the most respected figures in global finance, leading JPMorgan Chase, the world’s largest bank by market capitalization. His leadership has helped the bank survive through multiple crises, including the 2008 financial collapse and the pandemic-driven market turbulence.

Known for his candid views on economic policy and regulation, Dimon is a powerful voice in both Wall Street and Washington. His ability to combine financial innovation with institutional stability makes him one of the most trusted and influential business leaders worldwide.

8. Carlos Slim Helú

• Designation – Honorary Chairman & Founder
• Company – América Móvil & Grupo Carso
• Country – Mexico
• Industry – Telecommunications, Conglomerate

Carlos Slim Helú, once the world’s richest man, is a titan of Latin American business. Through América Móvil, he controls one of the largest telecommunications networks in the Western Hemisphere. His diversified holdings in construction, finance, retail, and media give him enormous influence across multiple sectors.

Slim’s business acumen and strategic investments have shaped Mexico’s economic development for decades. Beyond business, his philanthropy through the Carlos Slim Foundation supports health, education, and digital inclusion across Latin America, solidifying his role as a transformative regional leader.

9. Jack Ma

• Designation – Founder
• Company – Alibaba Group
• Country – China
• Industry – E-commerce, Technology

Jack Ma is the charismatic entrepreneur who built Alibaba into one of the world’s largest e-commerce and fintech empires. His vision of empowering small businesses through technology reshaped China’s digital economy and inspired a new generation of Asian entrepreneurs.

Despite facing regulatory challenges in recent years, Ma’s influence as a global business icon remains unmatched. His advocacy for innovation, education, and sustainability continues through various philanthropic efforts.

10. Christine Lagarde

• Designation – President
• Company – European Central Bank (ECB)
• Country – France
• Industry – Finance, Economic Policy

Christine Lagarde is one of the most powerful women in global finance. As the President of the European Central Bank and former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), she has guided major economies through financial instability, debt crises, and pandemic recovery.

Lagarde plays an important role in shaping global monetary policy with her diplomatic approach and advocacy for sustainable finance. She represents a new generation of leadership marked by gender equality, transparency, and international cooperation.

The Top 10 Most Powerful Spiritual Leaders in the World Are As Follows:

1. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

• Nation – Iran
• Religion – Islam (Shia)

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of Iran and one of the most powerful religious leaders in the world. He holds the highest office in the Islamic Republic since 1989, and his authority extends far beyond religious boundaries over Iran’s politics, military, and judiciary. His leadership also shapes the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, particularly within Shia communities across Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Under his stewardship, Iran’s Islamic principles continue to play a central role in governance, with an emphasis on moral and ideological integrity. Khamenei is both revered and controversial. He is admired by supporters as the guardian of Islamic revolution ideals and criticized by detractors for his rigid stance against Western influence.

2. Ahmed el-Tayeb

• Nation – Egypt
• Religion – Islam (Sunni)

Ahmed el-Tayeb serves as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and University in Cairo, one of the most respected institutions in the Islamic world. As the spiritual leader of millions of Sunni Muslims, he is a strong advocate of moderation, interfaith harmony, and modern Islamic scholarship. His teachings focus on rational interpretation of Islam in a rapidly changing world and the need for religious leaders to counter extremism through education.

El-Tayeb’s leadership within Al-Azhar University, which trains countless clerics and theologians, ensures his vision shapes Islamic thought across generations. El-Tayeb remains one of the most trusted voices of mainstream Sunni Islam today.

3. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa

• Nation – Saudi Arabia
• Religion – Islam (Sunni)

Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa is the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, a global Islamic organization headquartered in Makkah. He is a reform-minded cleric and one of the most prominent advocates of religious tolerance and cross-cultural dialogue within the Islamic world. He promotes a moderate understanding of Islam and counters extremist ideologies by building bridges between Muslim and non-Muslim societies.

Al-Issa has become a global diplomat for Islam, addressing international forums, universities, and interfaith councils. Under his leadership, the Muslim World League has taken a forward-looking approach to global humanitarianism and peacebuilding.

4. Pope Leo XIV

• Nation – Vatican City
• Religion – Christianity (Roman Catholic)

Pope Leo XIV, elected in 2025, leads the world’s largest Christian denomination. As the head of the Roman Catholic Church, he is one of the most powerful person in the world. Building upon his predecessor Pope Francis’ legacy, Pope Leo XIV is viewed as a reformer. He has a pragmatic approach to modern challenges facing the Church, such as secularism, social justice, and global inequality.

His papacy emphasizes compassion, inclusivity, and ethical responsibility. Through his global advocacy on climate action, poverty eradication, and human rights, Pope Leo XIV continues the Vatican’s moral diplomacy on the world stage.

5. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

• Nation – India
• Religion – Hinduism / Spiritual Humanism

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is a globally recognized spiritual teacher, mystic, and founder of the Isha Foundation — a non-profit organization that promotes yoga, meditation, and social service. His initiatives like “Rally for Rivers” and “Save Soil” combine spirituality with environmental activism, positioning him as both a sage and a global thought leader.

Through public talks, books, and online engagement, he addresses human well-being, leadership, and consciousness. His practical, science-aligned approach to spirituality resonates and helps him bridge Eastern mysticism and Western logic.

6. The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)

• Nation – India (Tibetan exile)
• Religion – Buddhism (Tibetan)

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, remains the world’s most revered Buddhist leader and a symbol of peace and compassion. He has been living in exile since 1959 and has become the face of Tibetan Buddhism with a moral voice for non-violence, freedom, and mindfulness.

Despite his advanced age, the Dalai Lama continues to inspire millions through his lectures, writings, and digital outreach. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate, he has consistently advocated for peaceful coexistence, interfaith dialogue, and mental well-being. His life’s message that “compassion is a universal religion” continues to guide global talks on ethics and humanity.

7. Acharya Prashant

• Nation – India
• Religion – Hindu / Vedantic Philosophy

Acharya Prashant is a modern spiritual teacher known for bringing deep Vedantic wisdom to the modern intellect. A former civil servant turned philosopher, he founded the PrashantAdvait Foundation, which focuses on awareness-based living, self-inquiry, and freedom from psychological suffering.

Unlike many traditional gurus, Acharya Prashant emphasizes understanding over rituals by blending rationality and spirituality,. His digital presence through YouTube lectures, books, and online courses has made his message accessible to millions worldwide.

8. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

• Nation – Russia
• Religion – Christianity (Russian Orthodox)

Patriarch Kirill I serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and is one of the most influential figures in Eastern Christianity. Since his enthronement in 2009, he has strengthened the Church’s role in Russian society and maintained a close relationship with the Russian government.

His leadership blends theological conservatism with national identity, positioning the Church as a central force in Russian cultural and moral life. While his political alignment has drawn international debate, his impact on preserving Christian heritage and expanding the Church’s outreach in post-Soviet regions is undeniable.

9. Gauranga Das

• Nation – India
• Religion – Hinduism (Vaishnavism / ISKCON)

Gauranga Das is a monk, leader, and environmental advocate within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Based in Mumbai’s Govardhan School, he has become a prominent voice promoting sustainable living inspired by Vedic principles.

Gauranga Das has worked in environmental projects like Govardhan Ecovillage (a model for eco-friendly spiritual communities) and has earned global recognition, including awards from the United Nations and UNESCO.

Gauranga Das also focuses on emotional intelligence, mindful leadership, and holistic education. He represents a new generation of monks who merge devotion with environmental and social responsibility.

10. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

• Nation – India
• Religion – Hinduism / Interfaith Spirituality

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, one of the world’s largest volunteer-based organizations. His movement spans over 150 countries, promoting meditation, stress relief, and humanitarian service. Gurudev has inspired millions to integrate spirituality into daily life through simple yet profound breathing and meditation techniques.

His peacebuilding initiatives have brought opposing sides together in conflict zones and influenced global conversations on happiness and human values. From mental health awareness to prison reform, his projects highlight a universal message that inner peace is the foundation of outer harmony.

End Note on The Most Powerful Person in the World

Power takes many forms, from guiding nations to shaping economies and inspiring millions.

The most powerful person in the world in 2025 is defined not just by wealth or authority, but by the ability to influence lives, decisions, and global trends.

Across politics, business, and spirituality, these leaders exemplify how vision, strategy, and values converge to leave a lasting impact on humanity.

Their actions today will shape the world of tomorrow, reminding us that true power lies in the capacity to inspire, lead, and transform.

As we reflect on the dynamics of power and influence, we invite you to consider: Who do you consider the most powerful person in the world, and why?

Maria Isabel Rodrigues

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