If you are sure that you live modestly, do not own a business, do not engage in politics, because the affairs of the powerful of this world do not concern you, you are mistaken. There are always those on whom the events in the world directly or indirectly depend.
We will talk about them - the most influential people of our time. Regular lists with them are compiled by the Times and Forbes - perhaps the most authoritative publications in the United States. We will look only at the "top" and talk about the TOP-10 of the current such list.
One of the few political leaders in India who enjoys huge support from the people. A vivid confirmation of this is his re-election for a fourth consecutive term. However, both at home and abroad, many consider him a controversial personality. On the one hand, this is a charismatic “millionaire from the slums”, winner of UN and UNESCO awards, and on the other hand, one of the indirect culprits of the result of interreligious clashes in Gujarat among Indian Muslims (then more than a thousand people died). The youngest influencer on this list was born in 1984 and has since managed to become the owner of one of the most valuable companies and the largest social network. The history of the latter began with a modest website for Harvard students, and has grown to the level of one of the five most visited online sites in the world. Mark Zuckerberg is a record holder in many respects. For example, he managed to become the youngest billionaire in history and one of the richest Americans. Like Bill Gates, he donates the lion's share of his fortune to charity, which is how he intends to dispose of 99% of Facebook's shares. 
Not surprisingly, he made it to the list of the most influential people of our time - the famous saying says that "who owns the information, owns the world." But it is Larry Page that directly affects what information we receive daily using the global Web.
Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and philanthropist
He is one of the people who made computers small, human (in terms of learning) and affordable. For several years in a row, he led the ranking of the richest people in the world, and today, moving away from business, he has focused his efforts on the development of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 
In the latter, Bill Gates succeeded no less than in the computer field: Bill personally holds the record for the amount of funds donated to charity. For example, he sent 38% of his Microsoft shares to an unknown recipient. This donation could easily claim to be the largest since the turn of the 21st century.
Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church
His name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio and he is the 266th pope. In the past 1200 years, he became the first non-European (born in Buenos Aires) to take this honorary chair. Despite the fact that in many Western countries the state is separated from religion, the Catholic faith continues to play an important role in the lives of ordinary residents, and both politicians and businessmen listen to the opinion of the head of the church. Pope Francis himself is a modest man with firm principles. In 2013, the year of his election, Time magazine named him "Person of the Year." 
Janet Yellen, head of the US Federal Reserve
She has chaired the US Federal Reserve since 2014 and is the first woman to hold this position. To understand the importance of this government unit, you need to know that it performs the function of the country's central bank. Janet Yellen is not the only one in the family to be honored: her husband is a Nobel Prize winner in economics, and she herself has a Ph.D. 
Xi Jinping, Chinese President
It is difficult to underestimate the influence of China on the world economy, so it is not surprising that the leader of this country was included in the list of the most influential people. Xi Jinping stands out among other politicians for his principled position on corruption, as well as his openness to reforms. He first got into the top 100 most influential people in the world (according to Forbes) back in 2009. 
Merkel has repeatedly become the leader in the rankings of the most influential women politicians, has numerous awards and was named "Woman of the Year" by the authoritative British edition of the Financial Times.
Donald Trump, US President
Donald Trump managed to take the presidency relatively recently, but even before this event, he was well known in the world for his political and commercial activities. A versatile person, he is engaged not only in business (he is the president of a construction conglomerate, the owner of a network of gambling establishments and hotel complexes), but also worked as a TV presenter, regularly appeared in 
Indeed, he not only once again occupies the presidency in a country that consistently holds first place in the world in terms of territory and ninth in terms of population, but also participates in foreign policy, and his actions are not always perceived unambiguously. By the way, Vladimir Putin is the only representative from Russia in our rating.
The personal life of public politicians and media personalities always attracts close attention of society and the press. Therefore, many of them try to protect themselves and their families from journalists and strictly dose out information about it. The editors of the site invite you to read about the family life of Vladimir Putin.
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The world's population is growing daily, and we have already reached the mark of 7 billion. 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 publication Forbes constantly makes 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 has confidently entered the top ten since the end of the twenty.
At the moment, his fortune is estimated at 59 billion dollars. However, the young businessman does not suffer from star fever at all and leads a very modest life. He also donates significant amounts to charity.
Mark said that by the end of this year he wants to donate $ 3 billion to a kind of charity - the structure that will receive the investment is dedicated to the eradication of all currently existing diseases on Earth.
Narenda Modi
The penultimate one is Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi. Every year is more and more successful for Modi. Popularity among Indians is steadily growing.
It is noteworthy that even the harsh financial reform did not diminish his popularity. Painful changes were made as part of the fight against corruption. In the autumn of 2016, the prime minister issued an order that states the annulment of the two most nominal denominations.
Larry Page
A well-known figure on the Internet, it is Larry who is one of the main developers of the best Google search engine. 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 a no less famous person - Bill Gates. He is the founder 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 almost in the middle of our top. Concurrently, she is also the head of the US Federal Reserve System. It controls all activities of banking and other financial institutions.
It's funny, but it is very popular among ordinary Americans. This is ensured thanks to her simple approach and the ability to clearly express 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 solid age does not at all prevent Francis from maintaining a huge amount of vital energy and inspiring people on the true path. After all, it is he who directs a huge flock to perform various good deeds.
Xi Jinping
The fourth place is occupied by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. In 2012, he was elected to the position 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 has entered the top three this year. He is a very unusual person, but at the same time remains a prominent figure in political life.
The German chancellor, according to Forbes, can compete with Russia's influence in the West. The ambitious politician was able to relieve tension within the European Union and coped with the huge crowds of emigrants flooding into Germany.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is in second place. Surpassing his predecessor, Barack Obama, who fell to forty-eighth after third place, Trump confidently entered the top ten most influential people on the planet.
Recall 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 set to work.
Vladimir Putin
The first place in the ranking is occupied by Vladimir Putin. According to Forbes, he is the most powerful 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.
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“The Russian president influences almost every corner of the planet. At home, in Syria and in the presidential elections, the United States continues to achieve what it wants, ”the newspaper writes.
The Russian factor became central to American pre-election discussions after the Democratic Party, which nominated its presidential candidate, admitted that its servers had been hacked by anonymous hackers. A short time later, a number of American intelligence agencies linked the cyberattack to Russia and, in particular, the Kremlin.
Leaks from confidential Democratic correspondence have spoiled the image and were one of the factors that brought down Clinton's ratings and led to the victory of Republican Donald Trump. Trump himself, the already elected president of the United States, meanwhile does not hide the fact that he is going to establish contact with Vladimir Putin and reconsider the issue of annexing Crimea to Russia.
Trump-linked financier Carter Page, who also spoke publicly about the Crimea issue in a conciliatory vein, recently visited Moscow.
With an ally as likely as the White House, Putin's power could be unlimited for years to come.
The director general of the APEC Agency for Political and Economic Communications believes that coverage of Putin's influence on the American elections helped his credibility, no matter how real this influence was. “The fact that this was discussed strengthened his image positioning,” the source 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, having, in general, few 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 the 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 is leaving office at a time of global upheaval; a wave of populism caused political instability in Europe, the beginning of the crisis was the June Brexit of 2016, ”Forbes writes in a commentary.
Political scientist 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,” Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor is sure.
However, the expert clarifies that this does not mean that the future American leader will definitely outstrip Putin in the future, it’s just that now the Russian president has no alternative for the one that made up 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, the heavier the leader. But another question is how much he is still personally influential and determines the entire policy of his company.
“In America, after all, the president is a product of the system. He expresses not his opinion, but the opinion of the opposing groups. And in Russia, on the contrary, everyone supports the opinion of a single ruler,” Smirnov comments.
Russian President 65-year-old Vladimir Putin for the first time in five years did not become the leader of the Forbes ranking of the most influential people in the world, losing the first line in the list to the chairman of the People's Republic of China, 64-year-old Xi Jinping.
US President Donald Trump, 71, has dropped from second to third place in a new rating published on Tuesday, May 8, on the American Forbes website.
The top five most influential people in the world in 2018 also included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 63, and the richest person on the planet, Amazon.com founder 54-year-old billionaire Jeff Bezos. Forbes explained Xi Jinping's first place by the fact that in March of this year he managed to achieve the abolition of the constitutional ban on holding the post of head of the Communist Party of China for more than one term and being re-elected leader of the country.
Putin, on the other hand, managed to become president of the country for the fourth time, having won the elections with a record result for the post-Soviet period - 77% of the vote. The President of Russia became the first in the Forbes ranking of the most influential people in the world in 2013, then displacing his American colleague Barack Obama from the first line.
Trump, the magazine notes, during his tenure in the White House has not been able to get rid of a series of accusations and scandals and is not able to move his agenda through Congress, despite the Republican majority.
Merkel is credited with the fact that she managed to become the chancellor of Germany for the fourth time. The top 10 rankings also included Pope Francis (81), Microsoft founder billionaire Bill Gates (62), Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (32), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (67). years) and billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page (45).
Another co-founder of Google, a native of Russia, 44-year-old Sergey Brin was on the 35th line of the rating. The ranking of the most influential people in the world is based on the subjective choice of the American editors of the magazine. The criteria for influence are indicators such as the number of people affected by the decisions of the rating participant, the financial flows that the rating participant manages as an administrator, manager or owner, and the activity with which the rating participant uses his power.
Most of all, the list turned out to be US citizens - 40 people. Among them are five politicians, including President Donald Trump, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (No. 11 in the ranking), Chief Justice John Roberts (No. 63), Vice President Mike Pence (No. 67), Attorney General Robert Mueller (No. 72). One - 62-year-old Christine Lagarde - heads the International Monetary Fund. The remaining 34 people on the list are billionaires and heads of transnational corporations. Among them are Mark Zuckerberg (33 years old, No. 13 in the ranking) and Warren Buffett (87 years old, No. 16), Tim Cook (57 years old, No. 24) and Elon Musk (46 years old, No. 25), Michael Bloomberg (76 years old, #51) and Michael Dell (age 56, #53).
The rating also includes two representatives of India (in addition to the prime minister, this is the founder and head of the oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, 61-year-old billionaire Mukesh Andani), two Japanese (Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Softbank head, billionaire Masayoshi Son), two Mexicans (billionaire Carlos Slim and President Enrique Peña Nieto) and two Frenchmen, including President Emmanuel Macron (No. 12), 40, and billionaire Bernard Arnault.
The remaining several countries are represented in the ranking of the most influential people in the world by one person. Among them were British Prime Minister Theresa May (No. 14 in the ranking), Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (No. 17), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (No. 26), Portuguese UN Secretary-General António Guterres (No. 31 ), head of the European Union Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker (No. 33), leader of North Korea 34-year-old Kim Jong-un (No. 36), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (No. 48), Brazilian President Michel Temer (No. 50), President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (No. 54), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (No. 57), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (No. 62), Swiss FIFA head Gianni Infantino (No. 75).
In the ranking of the 75 most influential people in the world, there were only five women. In addition to Merkel, May and Lagarde, these are the head of General Motors, Mary Barra, and the head of Fidelity Investments, Abigail Johnson. The youngest person on the list is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who is 32 years old. The oldest - the head of CK Hutchison Holdings, Hong Kong's richest billionaire Li Ka-shing - is 89 years old.
1. Vladimir Putin
President of Russia
Age: 63
The country: Russia
Family status: divorced, two children
According to Forbes, Vladimir Putin still knows no equal in terms of the totality of the analyzed parameters. The Russian President continues to prove that he is one of the few people in the world powerful enough to do what they want, Forbes notes. “International sanctions imposed after he seized Crimea and unleashed a proxy war in Ukraine collapsed the ruble and plunged the country into a deep recession, but did not hurt Putin himself: in June, his approval rating rose to a record 89%. In October, he began bombing ISIS positions in Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, weakening US and NATO positions in the region and restoring Russia's international influence.
2. Angela Merkel
Chancellor of Germany
Age: 61
The country: Germany
Family status: married
Angela Merkel continues to rule as one of the world's powers and has been the most powerful woman in the world for over 10 years. In December 2014, she was elected for the third time to the post of Chancellor of Germany - after another four years at the head of the government, she will turn into the main democratically elected political centenarian of the EU. Merkel expertly guided the German economy through the global crisis with skillful use of stimulus measures and government subsidies, and played a decisive role in maintaining a united Europe by intervening in the Greek crisis. The German chancellor is also actively supporting the fight against ISIS, the first of the German rulers to break the taboo on participation in hostilities adopted after the Second World War. Merkel has become an important participant in another conflict - the Ukrainian one. Here she acts as a mediator and, together with Vladimir Putin, is one of the guarantors of the current peace agreements.
3. Barack Obama
President of the U.S.A
Age: 54
The country: USA
Family status: married, two children
The United States, of course, remains the world's leading power - in the economy, culture, diplomacy, technology, military and other sectors. However, in the last year of his presidency, Obama has clearly lost his own influence. Domestically, his rating rarely rises above 50%, and on the global stage, the American leader is overshadowed by Angela Merkel as the mistress of a united Europe and Vladimir Putin as the new protagonist of the Middle East conflict.
4. Pope Francis
pope
Age: 78
The country: Vatican
The spiritual leader of one-sixth of the world's population of 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis has radically changed the church's conservative image in just a few years of his reign. In September, he made a triumphant six-day visit to the United States, where he spoke to Congress and the UN, touching on climate issues, immigration, the infringement of the rights of religious minorities in the Middle East, and more. He also visited a prison in Philadelphia and met with victims of sexual violence, again asking for forgiveness for sexual scandals in the church. The first Jesuit pope and the first Latin American pontiff, he does not hesitate to discuss hitherto forbidden topics, such as the rights of sexual minorities, women's rights, etc. Francis also devotes a lot of time to helping the poor, which is highly appreciated by his flock.
5. Xi Jinping
Chairman of the People's Republic of China
Age: 62
The country: PRC
Family status: married, one child
The Chinese leader is carefully using his influence as the head of the world's second largest economy. After coming to power, he actively took up the implementation of market reforms and demonstrated open-mindedness. Compared to his predecessors, Xi leads a fairly open lifestyle, putting a lot of effort into fighting corruption and building good relations with other powers, both in the West and in the East. From an October trip to the United States and Britain, the Chinese President brought agreements worth a fantastic $46 billion.
6. Bill Gates
Microsoft founder
Age: 60
The country: USA
Family status: married, three children
This year has been decisive in many ways for one of the richest men in the world. 40 years ago, Gates and his friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft with the goal of bringing a computer into every home. Today, 84% of Americans have a computer at home. 15 years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates opened a charitable foundation designed to eliminate social inequality, and have already invested more than $ 30 billion in it. In May, the Gates announced that their foundation would help those who suffered from the Ebola virus, and a month later Melinda announced that over the next six years the foundation will spend $776 million to fight hunger.
7. Janet Yellen
Federal Reserve Chairman
Age: 69
The country: USA
Family status: married, one child
The first woman at the head of the world's top financial regulator quickly gained influence that she lacked against the backdrop of Ben Bernanke's powerful predecessor. Yellen's arrival as head of the Fed also coincided with the exit of the US economy from the crisis, and now her task is to restore Americans' faith in the American dream. In October, the Fed announced its readiness to curtail the economic stimulus program, but promised to leave the refinancing rate at zero. On the balance sheet of the regulator under the leadership of Yellen, there are already $ 4.5 trillion of assets - for comparison, US GDP is $ 16.8 trillion.
8. David Cameron
British Prime Minister
Age: 49
The country: Great Britain
Family status: married, four children
Cameron was re-elected to his post in May of this year. The leader of the Conservative Party is very active on Twitter - he has 834,000 followers there, and also likes to take selfies, the most famous of which is with US President Barack Obama at the funeral of Nelson Mandela.
9. Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
Age: 65
The country: India
Family status: married
Narendra Modi raised the country's GDP by 7.4% in his first year in office, as well as his status in the international arena, having met with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. Modi's reforms have increased India's influence in the technology market, but to secure his position, he needs to reform the party and take control of the opposition.
10 Larry Page
Founder of Google
Age: 42
The country: USA
In August 2015, Larry Page announced his intention to cede the post of CEO of Google to Sundar Pichai, the head of Google's search business, by the end of the year. The billionaire himself will move to the chair of the CEO of the new holding company Alphabet, which will unite both the core business of the Internet giant and its innovative divisions, including Google X, Nest, Fiber, Calico, and others. corporations soared to new historical records on the back of advances in mobile search, the development of YouTube and the promise of additional investment in development. Previously, Page and the team launched Sidewalk Labs, an organization that will focus on urban development and the improvement of the mobile services industry. Larry founded Google in 1998 with another Stanford student, Sergey Brin, and served as the company's first CEO until 2001. He then took a ten-year diversion to product development and returned to the CEO position in 2011. In October 2014, Pichai became involved in the operational management of the business, while Page focused on long-term strategic issues. The Google co-founder is known as one of Silicon Valley's most staunch advocates of alternative energy.
47. Igor Sechin
President of Rosneft
Age: 55
The country: Russia
Family status: married, one child
Although Igor Sechin is considered the right-hand man of the most powerful man in the world, this has not kept him and his state-owned Rosneft company from falling under US visa and financial sanctions imposed after Russia's alleged military intervention in the Ukrainian conflict. “Putin trusts him like no one else,” says New York University expert Mark Galeotti. “And if Putin trusts you, influence and money will always follow.”
54. Alexey Miller
Chairman of the Board of Gazprom
Age: 53
The country: Russia
Miller controls the main weapon of the Russian economy - the country's largest company, the gas monopoly Gazprom (revenue in 2014 - $ 146.6 billion). Since the early 1990s, he has been closely acquainted with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Unlike Igor Sechin, Miller kept himself and his company out of the sanctions war between Russia and the West.
57. Alisher Usmanov
Major shareholder of USM Holdings
Age: 62
The country: Russia
Family status: married
One of the richest businessmen in Russia, Usmanov skillfully diversified his portfolio of assets. He owns controlling stakes in metallurgical giant Metalloinvest, Russia's second-largest mobile operator Megafon, and leading business weekly Kommersant. The billionaire, whose current fortune Forbes estimates at $13.9 billion, is also a member of the influential lobbying body, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. In 2013, he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. Usmanov is one of the early investors in Facebook. In 2013, he sold off shares in the social network and focused on eastern Internet giants: online retailer Alibaba and smartphone maker Xiaomi, in which the businessman invested $ 500 million. He also owns a stake in London's Arsenal football club. 12% of Usmanov's holding belongs to his business partners and key managers.
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