India's prime minister Narendra Modi has found a place in Forbes' top 10 most powerful people in the world. Modi is in the ninth position and he is placed behind Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Premier Vladimir Putin, who rank number one and two respectively.
Forbes stated in the report that Modi "remains hugely popular" in the second most populous country on earth and it cited Modi's demonetization scheme as one of his greatest achievements as India's prime minister.
"Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as warming affects millions of his country's rural citizens," Forbes said.
The most noticeable change is at the top of the list. For the last four years, Putin had claimed the top spot, which now is occupied by the Chinese president.
Third on the list is Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America. He was placed in the number two spot last year. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Pope Francis, billionaire Bill Gates and Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammad bin Salman are placed ahead of prime minister Modi.
"There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of The World's Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," Forbes said.
The list was compiled on the basis of the candidates' "power over lots of people", "financial resources" and "power in multiple spheres."
There are 17 new names in Forbes' annual list of 75 of the World's Most Powerful People who make the world turn. New entrants include Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud (8), US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (11), Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods (34), President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (54) and Special Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice Robert Mueller (72).
Sarah Pochin (Photo: UK Parliament)