2013 Forbes’ 100 most powerful people list features a change at the top

Barack Obama image by ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

It’s time once again for the annual Forbes’ 100 most powerful people list and once again the top of the list if scattered with names you would expect. Highlights of this year’s list include 17 heads of state, 27 CEOs and chairs, 28 billionaires, and nine women. British Prime Minister David Cameron and Pope Benedict XVI were the only people to drop out of last year’s top 10 and Cameron was still ranked 11th. Click on to see who did made this year’s top 10. (View the complete list and more here.)

10 Michael Duke

World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons



CEO of Walmart. #17 in 2012.

9 Mario Draghi

World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons



President of the European Central Bank. #8 in 2012.

8 Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud

www.kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons



King of Saudi Arabia. #7 in 2012.

7 Ben Bernanke




Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. #6 in 2012.

6 Bill Gates

World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons



Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
#1 in the Forbes 400. #2 in billionaires.

5 Angela Merkel




Chancellor of Germany. #2 in 2012. #1 ranked in powerful women

4 Pope Francis

presidencia.gov.ar, Wikimedia Commons



Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Unranked in 2012.

3 Xi Jinping




General Secretary of the Communist Party in China. #9 in 2012.

2 Barack Obama




President of the United States. #1 in 2012.

1 Vladimir Putin

www.kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons



President of Russia. #3 in 2012.

(View the complete list and more here.)