Posted December 6, 2018 | by KimS | in DemDaily, Resource

DemDaily: The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women

December 6, 2018

The business magazine, Forbes, released its 2018 rankings of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women this week.

Angela Merkel #1 for eighth year (pic: Nackstrand/AFP/Getty

Now in its 15 year, the annual list represents the best and the brightest of women who are leading the way across the globe in 29 countries. In total, 50% of the power players are from United States.

From tech entrepreneurs and media moguls to heads-of-state and corporate CEOs, CFOs and COOs, the group collectively wields "influence over more than a billion people around the world and control or influence nearly $2 trillion in revenues."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel retained the top spot, followed by U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde. The top American on the list was General Motors CEO Mary Barra at #4.

The 2018 Most Powerful Women List recognizes women in six categories: business (27), technology (18), finance (12), media & entertainment (16), politics & policy (22), and philanthropy (5)

The youngest on the list of influencers is entertainer Taylor Swift, 28. The oldest is Queen Elizabeth II at 92.

The World's Most Powerful Women List 2018 (Top 25)

Rank	Name	Age	Country	Category	Position
#1	Angela Merkel	64	Germany	Politics	Chancellor
#2	Theresa May	62	United Kingdom	Politics	Prime Minister
#3	Christine Lagarde	62	France	Economy	Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
#4	Mary Barra	56	United States	Automotive	CEO, General Motors
#5	Abigail Johnson	56	United States	Finance and Investments	CEO, Fidelity Investments
#6	Melinda Gates	54	United States	Philanthropy/NGO	Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
#7	Susan Wojcicki	50	United States	Technology	CEO, YouTube
#8	Ana Patricia Botín	58	Spain	Finance and Investments	Chair and Executive Director, Banco Santander
#9	Marillyn Hewson	64	United States	Manufacturing	CEO, Lockheed Martin
#10	Ginni Rometty	61	United States	Enterprise Technology	CEO, IBM

General Motors CEO Mary Bara ranked US' most powerful woman

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki #7

SCOTUS Justices Kagan, 57, Ginsberg, 85, & Sotomayor, 62, are ranked #19

Oprah came in at #20

Rank	Name	Age	Country	Category	Position
#11	Sheryl Sandberg	49	United States	Technology	CEO, Facebook
#12	Gail Boudreaux	58	United States	Healthcare	President & CEO, Anthem
#13	Angela Ahrendts	58	United States	Technology	Senior Vice President, Retail, Apple
#14	Safra Catz	56	United States	Technology	Co-CEO, Oracle
#15	Isabelle Kocher	51	France	Energy	CEO, ENGIE
#16	Adena Friedman	49	United States	Finance and Investments	President & CEO, NASDAQ
#17	Ho Ching	65	Singapore	Diversified	Executive Director and CEO, Temasek
#18	Emma Walmsley	49	United Kingdom	Healthcare	CEO, GlaxoSmithKline
#19	Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor	--	United States	Politics	United States Supreme Court Associate Justices
#20	Oprah Winfrey	64	United States	Media and Entertainment	Entrepreneur, Personality, Philanthropist
#21	Ruth Porat	61	United States	Technology	Senior Vice President & CFO, Alphabet
#22	Laurene Powell Jobs	55	United States	Education	Founder & President, Emerson Collective
#23	Queen Elizabeth II	92	United Kingdom	Politics	Monarch, United Kingdom
#24	Ivanka Trump	37	United States	Politics	Advisor to the President, United States
#25	Phebe Novakovic	60	United States	Diversified	CEO, General Dynamics

#74, Shonda Rhimes, Producer, Screenwriter, Author, Shondaland

#77, Arriana Huffington, Author and Founder/CEO, Thrive Global

#42 Anne Funicane, Vice Chair, Bank of America

#50, Entertainer Beyonce Knowles

Methodology: Forbes uses four metrics each year: money (either net worth, company revenues, assets, or GDP); media presence; spheres of influence; and impact, analyzed both within the context of each woman's field (media, technology, business, philanthropy/NGOs, politics, and finance) and outside of it. As of this ear, social media power was included in the media presence and influence score.

See Forbes' Full List of 100