THE WORLD'S TOP TEN MOST POWERFUL PEOPLES

THE WORLD'S TOP TEN MOST POWERFUL PEOPLES

1. Vladimir Putin

President, Russia

Age

61

Residence

Moscow, Russia

Citizenship

Russia

Marital Status

Married

Education

Doctor of Jurisprudence, Saint Petersburg State University

This year's snapshot of power puts the Russian President on top. Putin has solidified his control over Russia and anyone watching the chess match over Syria has a clear idea of the shift in the power towards Putin on the global stage. The ex-KGB strongman--who controls a nuclear-tipped army, a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves--is allowed to serve another six-year term, which could keep him in office until 2024.

2. Barack Obama

President, United States

Age

52

Residence

Washington, DC

Citizenship

United States

Marital Status

Married

Children

2

His signature legislation, Obamacare, is under fire, U.S. allies are outraged over NSA surveillance overseas and the government shutdown for 16 days in October begs the question: who's in control here? It appears that President Obama's lame duck period has set in earlier than usual for a two-term president, causing him to drop one notch from the No. 1 spot. To be sure, though, Obama remains in charge of the the most powerful nation in the world, with the largest, most innovative economy and the deadliest military.

3. Xi Jinping

General Secretary, Communist Party, China

Age

61

Residence

Beijing, China

Citizenship

China

Marital Status

Married

The 60-year-old Xi is the paramount political and military leader of China, ruling over 1.3 billion people (close to 20% of the world's population). China owns some $1.3 trillion in U.S. securities, making it the largest shareholder of U.S. debt. There are 122 billionaires in the country, up from zero one decade ago. In addition to his title of general secretary of the Communist Party in China, Xi is also president of the People's Republic of China and the chairman of the Central Military Commission.

4. Pope Francis

Pope, Roman Catholic Church

Age

77

Residence

Vatican City, Vatican City State

Citizenship

Argentina

The March 2013 election of Pope Francis has breathed new energy into the world's largest religion with 1.2 billion followers. The first Jesuit and Latin American Bishop of Rome preaches compassion for the poor and a greater role for women while signaling the church to quiet its focus on "only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptives." He has embraced social media, regularly using Twitter to dispense religious advice to his 3-plus million followers and is responsible for the world's first papal "selfie." Born in Buenos Aires as one of five children to an Italian immigrant railway worker, Pope Francis (né Jorge Mario Bergoglio) cheers Argentina's San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer club.

5. Angela Merkel

Chancellor, Germany

Age

59

Residence

Berlin, Germany

Citizenship

Germany

Marital Status

Married

Education

Master of Science, Leipzig University; Doctorate, Leipzig University

Fresh off a sweeping reelection last fall, Chancellor Merkel made headlines when she accused the U.S. National Security Agency of tapping her cell phone. Her accusations, along with revelations that the NSA may have been surveilling her since 2002, led to a White House order that the nation's data privacy protections be extended to non-Americans. Despite this tension, she has continued to be a crucial ally to the U.S. on global issues such as the crisis in Ukraine. The world's most powerful woman for nine of the past 10 years, Merkel broke through the ranks of Germany's male-dominated politics to become the first woman to serve as Chancellor, a position she has held since 2005. Merkel is an original architect of the 28-member European Union with a GDP of $15.8 trillion.

6. Bill Gates

Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Age

58

Source Of Wealth

Microsoft, Self Made

Residence

Medina, WA

Citizenship

United States

Marital Status

Married

Children

3

Education

Drop Out, Harvard University

He's back. Helped by a bounce in Microsoft shares, Bill Gates returns to the top of our annual Billionaires list this year amid a leadership shakeup at the software giant he founded. He's been the richest man in the world for 15 out of the last 20 years. After years focused on his philanthropy, Gates plans to spend more of his time working with product managers at Microsoft as rivals like Google and Apple continue to outshine the company in the market. Gates stepped down as Microsoft chairman in February, when new CEO Satya Nadella took over. Meanwhile, Gates remains focused on his foundation's efforts to eradicate polio (he secured $335 million in pledges to the cause from six billionaire comrades, including $100 million each from Mexico's Carlos Slim and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg) and getting fellow billionaires more involved with philanthropy. He and Warren Buffett have thus far convinced over 100 of the super rich to sign on to the Giving Pledge, a promise to donate at least half one's net worth to charity.

7. Ben Bernanke

Chairman, Federal Reserve, United States

Age

60

Residence

Washington, DC

Citizenship

United States

Marital Status

Married

Children

2

Education

Doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Bachelor of Arts / Science, Harvard University

Big Ben is stepping down when he term ends in January 2014, and Janet Yellen has been nominated to lead the Fed next year. Bernanke has steered the Fed during some of the biggest financial challenges since the Depression. The former Princeton professor is credited with helping avert a global economic meltdown during late 2000's, and jump-starting a still-moderate U.S. recovery. The American economy's "adult in the room" has said that there is only so much the Fed can do; politicians are the ones with the power to keep us from going over a fiscal cliff.

8.  Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

King, Saudi Arabia

Age

89

Residence

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Citizenship

Saudi Arabia

Marital Status

Married

Children

22

Saudi Arabia's aging monarch holds the keys to Islam's two holiest sites and the world's second largest crude oil deposit of some 265 billion barrels, amounting to about 18% of global reserves. The Kingdom boasts a $727 billion GDP, putting it in the top 20 richest countries worldwide. But with 50% of its population under 25, and more than a quarter of those youths out of work, the king has pushed $130 billion at unemployment funds and housing projects in recent years.

9. Mario Draghi

President, European Central Bank

Age

66

Residence

Rome, Italy

Citizenship

Italy

Marital Status

Married

Children

2

Education

Doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

As chief banker of the world's largest ­currency area--the euro zone's collective GDP is now nearly $17 trillion--Draghi faces the Herculean task of trying to maintain financial unity across 17 countries. But if anyone can wrangle the interests of nations as diverse as Germany and Greece, it might be the man who navigated the minefield of Italian politics so deftly that he earned himself a nickname: "Super Mario."

10. Michael Duke

CEO, Wal-Mart Stores

Age

64

Residence

Rogers, AR

Citizenship

United States

Marital Status

Married

Children

3

Chief of the world's No. 1 retailer (just under $470 billion in sales in 2012) and biggest private employer (2.2 million employees). Wal-Mart can make or break a company simply by deciding to stock its product.

source :- forbes