Last year, Time magazine published a list of the 100 most powerful people in the world. These are people who have impacted the world in different ways.
This article discusses each of these individuals and how they made it to the list of the top 100 most influential persons in the world.
In this article
1. Simone Biles
Age: 24
Nationality: American
Occupation: Gymnast
Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all time, with a total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals.
2. Phyllis Omido
Age: 43
Nationality: Kenyan
Occupation: Environmental Activist
After her efforts in environmental conservation, she was named one of the 100 most powerful people in the world in 2021.
In 2015, she was one of six people to receive the Goldman Environmental Prize.
3. Billie Eilish
Age: 19
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer
In 2021, Time magazine named singer Billie Eilish as one of the world’s most influential people.
Seven Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, one Guinness World Record, three MTV Video Music Awards, and two Brit Awards have all been bestowed onto Eilish.
4. Alexei Navalny
Age: 45
Nationality: Russian
Occupation: Political activist
Navalny is a Russian opposition leader, politician, lawyer, and activist.
He’s a big critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is currently in prison.
He won the Sakharov Prize award in 2021 for his fight for human rights.
5. Kamala Harris
Age: 57
Nationality: American
Occupation: Politician
She is the current vice president of the United States of America.
Kamala Harris is the first female as well as the first African American vice president of the U.S
6. Xi Jinping
Age: 68
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: Politician
He is the president of the People’s Republic of China.
China is the world’s second-largest economy, a reason which makes the country’s president one of the most powerful people in the world.
Also Read: The highest-paid entertainers in the world in 2022
7. Elon Musk
Age: 50
Nationality: American, Canadian, and South African
Occupation: Entrepreneur
He is currently the second-richest person in the world.
He’s the CEO of Tesla and Space X.
8. Joe Biden
Age: 78
Nationality: American
Occupation: Politician
He is the 46th and current president of the U.S.
The U.S is the world’s largest economy.
9. Bad Bunny
Age: 27
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Occupation: Rapper, singer.
His music has been categorized as Latin trap and reggaeton, but Bad Bunny has also integrated rock, bachata, and soul into his sound.
10. Abdul Ghani Baradar
Age: 53
Nationality: Afghan
Occupation: Religious and political leader
He is currently the acting first deputy prime minister and a co-founder of the Taliban.
11. Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Age: 37(Harry) and 40(Meghan)
Nationality: British (Harry) and American (Meghan)
Occupation: Duke and Duchess
They are both members of the British royal family and are rulers of the provinces of Sussex.
12. Britney Spears
Age: 39
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, and dancer.
She is known as the “Princess of Pop” because she is credited with encouraging the rebirth of teen pop in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Spears is regarded as a pop legend, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide in her career.
13. Naomi Osaka
Age: 24
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Tennis player
Naomi Osaka is one of the 100 most powerful people in the world right now. She has had numerous achievements in her tennis career which include winning the US Open and Australian Open.
Naomi took part in protests in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death in May 2020.
14. Dolly Parton
Age: 75
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer
She is a country music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian from the United States.
15. Scarlett Johansson
Age: 36
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actress
Scarlett Johansson was the world’s highest-paid actress in 2018 and in 2019. Her huge influence in the film industry makes her one of the most influential people in the world.
16. Lil Nas X
Age: 22
Nationality: American
Occupation: Rapper, singer.
He is a popular singer who has influenced pop culture.
17. Bowen Yang
Age: 30
Nationality: Australian-American
Occupation: Actor
Yang is based in New York City,
He’s a comedian, podcaster, and writer.
18. Tracee Ellis Ross
Age: 48
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actress
She’s famous for her lead roles in tv shows such as Black-ish and Girlfriends.
Tracee has influenced and positively impacted the lives of many young girls. This has consequently earned her a spot on the list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
19. Mark Bradford
Age: 59
Nationality: American
Occupation: Artist
His exceptional collage paintings make him one of the 100 most powerful people in the world.
20. Steven Yeun
Age: 37
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor and producer
He’s one of the world’s most influential actors.
Steven Yeun came into recognition for his role as “Glenn Rhee” in the famous tv show, “The Walking Dead”.
21. Mario Draghi
Age:74
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Economist
He is the current prime minister of India.
22. Tucker Carlson
Age:52
Nationality: American
Occupation: Tv Host
Since 2016, he has hosted Tucker Carlson Tonight, a nightly political talk show on Fox News. His influence through media led to Time Magazine listing him among the world’s 100 most influential people in 2021.
23. Sherrilyn Ifil
Age: 54
Nationality: American
Occupation: Lawyer
She’s one of the most powerful people in the world right now.
She is the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, as well as a law professor.
24. Shohei Ohtani
Age: 27
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Professional baseball pitcher
Shohei is a baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of the Major League Baseball (MLB).
In 2018, he was awarded the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
25. Ben Crump
Age: 52
Nationality: American
Occupation: Attorney
He focuses on civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases, including wrongful death lawsuits.
Also Read: The World’s Highest Paid Tv Hosts and Personalities.
26. Sunisa Lee
Age: 18
Nationality: American
Occupation: Gymnast
At just the age of 18, Sunisa Lee is one of the most powerful people in the world according to time.com
She is the Olympic all-around champion for 2020 and a bronze medalist for the uneven bars.
28. Tim Cook
Age: 60
Nationality: American
Occupation: Business Executive
He has been the CEO of Apple from 2011 up to date.
He’s one of the world’s most powerful people due to his control and influence in Apple Inc.
29. Kane Brown
Age: 28
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer
He is a popular singer that has released several EPs (Extended Plays).
30. Donald Trump
Age: 75
Nationality: American
Occupation: Politician and businessman.
He is the former president of the United States of America and his large influence has led to him being listed among
He’s one of the most powerful leaders in the world.
Trump is the former president of the U.S. He’s also one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $2.4 billion.
31. Aurora James
Age: 37
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Creative director and activist.
She started the fashion company Brother Vellies in 2013 with the objective of supporting indigenous African design skills and traditions.
Aurora also established the “15 Percent Pledge“, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting Black-owned businesses, in the year 2020.
32. Omar SY
Age: 43
Nationality: French
Occupation: Actor
He is a famous actor known for his role in films such as the Lupin tv series.
33. Steven Yeun
Age: 37
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor and producer
He’s one of the world’s most influential actors.
Yeun is well known for playing Glenn Rhee in “The Walking Dead”.
34. Nayib Bukele
Age: 40
Nationality: Salvadoran
Occupation: Politician
He is the current president of El Salvador.
35. Joe Manchin
Age: 74
Nationality: American.
Occupation: Politician, Businessman
He has served as the senior United States senator from West Virginia since 2010.
36. Barney Graham
Age: _
Nationality: American
Occupation: Immunologist and virologist
He is the chief of the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory and the deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center in the United States.
Graham is credited for being at the forefront to develop a vaccine for the Covid-19.
37. Roger Cox
Age: _
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Lawyer
Mr. Cox asks for judicial intervention in his book “Revolution Justified” to save the planet and humanity from devastating climate change.
38. Mary Barra
Age: 59
Nationality: American
Occupation: Businesswoman
Since January 2014, Mary Barra has served as the chair and CEO of General Motors, America’s largest vehicle manufacturer.
39. MiMi Aung
Age: 53
Nationality: Burmese-American
Occupation: Engineer
MiMi is one of the most powerful people in the world right now.
She is a lead engineer and project manager at NASA.
40. Liz Cheney
Age: 55
Nationality: American
Occupation: Attorney
Since 2017, she has served as the United States Representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district.
41. Mario Draghi
Age:74
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Economist
He’s the current prime minister of Italy and one of the world’s most influential people in 2021.
42. Mahbouba Seraj
Age: 73
Nationality: Afghan
Occupation: Journalist and activist
She advocates for women’s and children’s rights.
43. Narendra Modi
Age:71
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Politician
He’s the current prime minister of India.
44. Ron Klain
Age: 60
Nationality: American
Occupation: Attorney
He’s a political consultant and attorney.
Klain is the current chief of staff at the White House.
45. Vitalik Buterin
Age: 27
Nationality: Russian-Canadian
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Vitalik is the founder of Ethereum and owns over 1 billion dollars worth of Ethereum.
46. Viya
Age: 18
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: Entrepreneur and live streamer
She sells and advertises products through an online shopping broadcast.
47. Kengo Kuma
Age: 67
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Architect and professor
The Japanese architect designed the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. The stadium hosted the 2020 Olympics.
48. Sara Menker
Age: 39
Nationality: Ethiopian
Occupation: Entrepreneur
She is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Gro Intelligence.
Sara is one of Africa’s most influential people.
49. Lidia Morawska
Age: 69
Nationality: Polish
Occupation: Physicist and Professor
She carries out research on the quality of air in the atmosphere and its impact on human health.
50. Friederike Otto and Geert Jan Van Oldenborgh
Age: 39 and 59 respectively
Nationality: German and Dutch
Occupation: Climatologists
Otto focuses her research on extreme weather conditions.
Jan has been raising public awareness on how climate change is related to extreme weather conditions.
Also Read: World’s Highest Paid DJs
51. John Nkengasong
Age: 62
Nationality: Cameroonian
Occupation: Virologist
Nkengasong is a Cameroonian virologist
He’s the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
52. Katalin Kariko
Age: 66
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Biochemist
Katalin is an expert in RNA-mediated processes.
53. Adrienne Banfield Norris, Willow Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Age: 68, 20 and 50
Nationality: Americans
Occupations: Tv Personalities
The 3 are the hosts of the “Red Table Talk”, a talk show that airs on Facebook Watch.
54. Jensen Huang
Age: 58
Nationality: Taiwanese-American
Occupation: Businessman
He is the president and CEO of Nvidia Corporation, a technology company in the gaming industry.
Huang is one of the company’s co-founders.
55. Elisa Loncon Antileo
Age: 58
Nationality: Chilean
Occupation: Activist
Loncón was elected as one of the Mapuche people’s representatives to the Chilean Constitutional Convention in 2021.
56. Mamata Banerjee
Age: 66
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Politician and academic
Since 2011, she has been the ninth and current Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, the first woman to do so.
In 2021, Time magazine named her as one of the most powerful people in the world.
57. Rochelle Walensky
Age: 52
Nationality: American
Occupation: Physician
She is the director of the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention in the U.S
58. Ebrahim Raisi
Age: 60
Nationality: Iranian
Occupation: President
He is the current president of Iran.
59. Stacey Abrams
Age: 47
Nationality: American
Occupation: Politician
From 2007 until 2017, she was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017.
60. Naftali Bennett
Age: 49
Nationality: Israeli
Occupation: Politician
Naftali Bennett is the current prime minister of Israel and one of the world’s most powerful individuals in 2021.
61. Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala
Age: 67
Nationality: Nigerian, American
Occupation: Scholar and Technocrat
She is the director-general of the World Trade Organisation.
62. Barbara Kruger
Age: 76
Nationality: American
Occupation: Conceptual artist
Barbara is a conceptual artist popular for her collage style which sometimes depicts political situations in society.
Due to her reputation in art, she was named one of the 100 most powerful people in the world this year by Time magazine.
63. Daniel Kaluuya
Age: 32
Nationality: British
Occupation: Actor
Kaluuya is an actor from Britain and one of the world’s most influential people right now.
64. N.K. Jemisin
Age: 49
Nationality: American
Occupation: Writer
She focuses on fantasy and science fiction works.
65. Jessica B. Harris
Age: 73
Nationality: American
Occupation: Historian
Jessica is a historian, journalist, and college lecturer in the U.S
66. Jason Sudeikis
Age: 46
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor
The American actor was named one of the most powerful people in the world this year.
Jason has appeared on several tv comedy series such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Rock, and The Last Man on Earth.
67. Chloe’ Zhao
Age: 39
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: Filmmaker
After the release of “Nomadland” in 2020, she won the Oscar award for Best Director.
Zhao is the first Asian woman to win an Oscar.
68. Kate Winslet
Age: 46
Nationality: British
Occupation: Actress
She is well renowned for her work in the film industry, especially historical dramas, in which she frequently portrays powerful, complex women.
In 2021, Time magazine named Kate Winslet one of the world’s most influential individuals.
69. Luiza Trajano
Age: 70
Nationality: Brazilian
Occupation: Businesswoman
Luiza is the richest woman in Brazil.
70. Ang’elique Kidjo
Age: 61
Nationality: Beninese
Occupation: Singer
Angelique is a Grammy award-winning singer, actress, and activist known for her wide range of musical inspirations.
She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002.
Angelique sang in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympics.
Also Read: The World’s Highest Paid Celebrities
71. Kenneth C. Frazier and Kenneth Chenault
Age: 66, 70
Nationality: American
Occupation: Business executives
Frazier is the executive chairman of Merck & Co.
From 2001 to 2018, Chenault was the CEO and Chairman of American Express.
72. Allyson Felix
Age: 35
Nationality: American
Occupation: Track and field athlete
She’s one of the most powerful people in the world due to her exploits in athletics.
Felix focused on the 200 meters sprint from 2003 to 2013, before transitioning to the 400 meters sprint later in her career.
73. Youn Yuh Jung
Age: 74
Nationality: South-Korean
Occupation: Actress
She has had a successful career that spans over five decades, in the film industry.
74. Nikole Hannah-Jones
Age: 45
Nationality: American
Occupation: Investigative journalist
She is well-known for her reporting on civil rights in the United States.
75. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz
Age: Timbaland 49 years, Swizz Beatz 43 years
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producers, songwriters.
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s creation, the Verzuz battles has become an educational platform for hundreds of millions of spectators since its inception.
It revealed the extensive catalogs of producers and songwriters behind pop culture’s most important songs
76. Shonda Rhimes
Age: 51
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer, Screenwriter, and Author
She is mostly known for being the showrunner (creator, executive producer, and chief writer) of Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and the political thriller Scandal.
77. Esther Ze Naw Bamvo and El Thinzar Maung
Age: _
Nationality: Burmese
Occupation: Activists
They organized the first anti-military rally in Yangon, Myanmar just five days after the February 1 coup.
They are recognized as a sign of courage, honor, and legitimate anger.
78. Dorottya Redai
Age: _
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Academic and LGBT activist
She has been recognized for her work on a children’s book that sparked a debate in the Central European country about human rights.
79. Olimpia Coral Melo Cruz
Age:26
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Activist
Carol advocated for the development of the Olympian Law, a law in Mexico that prohibits computer harassment.
In 2021, Time magazine named her as one of the most powerful people in the world.
80. Claudia Spellmant and Indyra Mendoza
Age: _
Nationality: Honduran
Occupation: Activists
The duo is an LGBT activist and has protested in opposition to various abusive actions of the government against the community.
81. Frans Timmermans
Age: 60
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Politician and diplomat
Since 2014, he has served as the first vice president of the European Commission.
82.Adar Poonawalla
Age: 40
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Serum Institute CEO
Adar is the CEO of the Serum Institute of India.
Serum Institute is a vaccine manufacturer and produces more doses than any other company in the world.
83. Fatih Birol
Age: 63
Nationality: Turkish
Occupation: Economist and energy expert
Since September 2015, he has been the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
During his tenure as Director-General of the Agency, Fatih has made several initiatives to modernize the Paris-based international organization.
84. Felwine Sarr and Be’ne’dicte Savoy
Ages: 49
Nationality: Senegalese, French
Occupation: Professor, Art Historian
Felwine Sarr is a writer and also an academic. In 2016, he received the Grand Prix of Literary Associations.
Savoy specializes in the investigation of the provenance of pieces of art, particularly stolen art and other unlawfully acquired cultural artifacts.
85. Mona El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd
Age: 23
Nationality: Palestinian
Occupation: Activists
In Sheikh Jarrah, the twins have been filming and speaking out against the eviction of Palestinians from their houses.
86. Russell Jeung, Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Cynthia Choi
Age: 52
Nationality: Chinese
Occupation: Activists
The 3 founded the Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that advocates against racism and discrimination of Asian Americans.
87. Luis Manuel Otero Alca’ntara
Age: 33
Nationality: Cuban
Occupation: Performance artist
He is well-known for his public concerts in which he openly criticizes Cuba’s government and policies.
88. Nasrin Sotoudeh
Age: 58
Nationality: Iranian
Occupation: Human Rights Lawyer
Following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections, she represented imprisoned, Iranian opposition leaders and politicians.
She has also represented convicts sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were juveniles.
89. Cathy Park Hong
Age: 45
Nationality: American
Occupation: Poet. Writer and Professor
Cathy Park has three collections of poetry to her credit.
She uses a lot of mixed languages and serialized storytelling in her work.
For her writings and support for Asian American women, she was named one of the 100 most powerful people in the world by Time magazine in 2021.
You now know the world’s 100 most influential individuals right now. You can also read about the people who were the most influential in 2020 here.
