The leaders redefining influence across politics, tech, and culture
Forbes has released its annual ranking of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and this year’s list is a snapshot of where global influence actually lives in 2025. It cuts across politics, tech, finance, media, and culture, spotlighting women who control and shape public policy, tech, and cultural change.
The list spans 25 countries, including new entries from Namibia and Lithuania. North America still dominates with 50 names, but the geographic spread shows how power is shifting and decentralizing.
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A new era of leadership in tech
AI is at the center of this year’s ranking, and the women driving it appear in some of the most influential positions. AMD’s Lisa Su (No. 10) sits at a crucial point in the semiconductor supply chain. Ruth Porat (No. 12) directs major AI investments at Alphabet. Nvidia’s Colette Kress (No. 37), Meta’s Susan Li (No. 41), and Microsoft’s Amy Hood (No. 16) behind the world’s biggest tech companies. Anthropic president Daniela Amodei (No. 73) and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar (No. 50) represent the frontier of AI, shaping the companies building the next generation of advanced systems.
Political leaders are reshaping global systems under pressure
This year’s list features 16 political leaders, including eight sitting heads of state. Japan’s Sanae Takaichi (No. 3) made history as the country’s first female prime minister. In Europe, Ursula von der Leyen (No. 1) and Christine Lagarde (No. 2) continue to guide the region through major decisions in energy, defense, and monetary policy. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum (No. 5) plays an important role as more companies choose to build and manufacture in the region. Namibia’s president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (No. 79) also steps into global focus as the country’s natural resources gain more attention.
Finance remains one of the strongest levers of global power
Citi CEO Jane Fraser (No. 8) remains one of the most powerful figures in global banking. Abigail Johnson (No. 9) leads Fidelity, one of the world’s largest investment firms. Financial leadership is also widening across regions: Tan Su Shan (No. 29) heads DBS in Singapore, Southeast Asia’s biggest bank, and Kedia Gunjan (No. 23) from the U.S. Bank, one of the largest banks in the United States.
Cultural influence also carries power
Kim Kardashian (No. 71) joins the list as SKIMS reaches a $5 billion valuation and expands with NikeSKIMS. The women behind Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, including co-director Maggie Kang, debut at No. 100, supported by a global fan base that cuts across countries and age groups. Taylor Swift (No. 21) is the youngest individual lister at 35, showing how pop culture continues to play a major role in shaping influence today.
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A closer look at the list’s big numbers
Forbes features 44 CEOs this year, the highest count in five years, and 10 founders, consistent with last year. Only four women have appeared on every list since it began: Christine Lagarde, Melinda French Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Ho Ching. New names this year include Sanae Takaichi, Kim Kardashian, the women behind KPop Demon Hunters, Namibia’s president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Lithuania’s prime minister Inga Ruginienė, ByteDance CFO Julie Gao and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
The 2025 list shows how power is shifting across countries, industries and platforms. Women are leading major systems in politics, finance, technology and culture, shaping decisions that will influence the next decade.
See the full list and get to know this year’s most powerful women here
