Overview
- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen ranks No. 1, followed by ECB chief Christine Lagarde, with Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi debuting at No. 3.
- Forbes emphasizes AI as a core lever of power, highlighting leaders such as AMD’s Lisa Su, Alphabet’s Ruth Porat, Accenture’s Julie Sweet and Anthropic cofounder Daniela Amodei.
- The 2025 list spans 25 countries and six sectors, featuring 44 CEOs, 10 founders and 16 political leaders, including eight sitting heads of state.
- Newcomers include Kim Kardashian and the women behind Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, as well as Namibia’s Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah, Lithuania’s Inga Ruginienė and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar.
- Forbes reports the 100 listees collectively influence more than 1 billion people, oversee $4.9 trillion in revenue and reflect gains constrained by 2025 setbacks for women and concentrated top-tier access.