1. Vladimir Putin
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
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
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
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
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.
