The world's most powerful women

For the sixth year running, Angela Merkel is die nummer eins on our ranking. (Hillary Clinton, for now, is stuck at number two). Nearly a third of these women lead a nation or play a major role in policymaking; together they govern or directly infl uence more than 3.6 billion people. Nearly half run a global company; nine have built a billion-dollar business. Four metrics determine this list: Money (personal, company sales, national GDP), media presence, influence, and success at effecting change.

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