Forbes 10 Most Powerful People in the World

President, Russia
Age 63
Residence Moscow, Russia
Citizenship Russia
Russia's president continues to prove he's one of the few men in the world powerful enough to do what he wants --and get away with it. International sanctions set in place after he seized Crimea and waged war-by-proxy in the Ukraine have kneecapped the Ruble and driven Russia into deepening recession, but haven't hurt Putin one bit: In June his approval ratings reached an all-time high of 89%.

Chancellor, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues her reign as the most powerful woman on the planet for 10 years running. Why? She clinched a third four-year term of Europe's most vibrant economy in December 2014, making her the longest-serving elected EU head of state. She fought off a national recession during the global economic crisis with stimulus packages and government subsidies for companies that cut hours for workers, and she is in the thick of trying to help Greece revive its economy

President, United States
There's no doubt that the United States remains the world's greatest economic, cultural, diplomatic, technological and military power. But as Obama enters the final year of his presidency, it's clear his influence is shrinking, and it's a bigger struggle than ever to get things done. At home, his approval ratings are perpetually stuck under 50%; abroad, he's outshined by Angela Merkel in Europe, and outmaneuvered by Putin in the Middle East.

Bishop of Rome, Roman Catholic Church
The spiritual leader to one-sixth of the world's population -- 1.2 billion souls. Pope Francis has made it his mission to transform the longstanding conservative image of the Catholic Church. The pontiff made a six-day visit to the U.S. in September, addressing Congress and the United Nations and urging actions on issues including climate change, immigration, and the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

General Secretary, Communist Party, China
Xi Jinping holds all three offices required to be China's paramount leader, becoming what some have called the most powerful Chinese ruler since Mao Zedong. Xi was quick to see the benefits of privatization-friendly reforms and further signs of fresh thinking are everywhere. He has a surprisingly assertive public profile, even allowing the state media to publish a day-in-the-life account of his workday.

Cofounder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
It's a landmark year for the world's richest man. Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen launched Microsoft 40 years ago with the goal of getting a computer on every person's desk. Now, 84% of U.S. households own a computer. Fifteen years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates started their charitable foundation with the goal of reducing inequity, and have put more than $30 billion to work toward that end.

Chair, Federal Reserve, Washington, United States
Janet Yellen made history in 2014 when she became the first female head of the Federal Reserve. The Yale and Brown educated economist has barely had a moments rest since then: She took over shortly after the central bank began unwinding its recession era bond buying program and then deftly ushered markets through six cuts that brought monthly purchases to $0 from a peak of $85 billion.

Prime Minister, United Kingdom
The U.K. prime minister held onto his spot at 10 Downing Street this year, winning reelection in May. He now presides over the country's only conservative majority government in 23 years. The Conservative leader is fond of Twitter - he has 834,000 followers - and selfies, most famously the shot with Barack Obama and then Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandela's memorial service in 2013.

Prime Minister, India
India's populist PM presided over 7.4% GDP growth in his first year in office, and raised his profile as a global leader during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. A barnstorming tour of Silicon Valley reinforced his nation's massive importance in tech. But governing 1.2 billion people requires more than shaking hands: Now Modi must pass his party's reform agenda and keep fractious opposition under control.

CEO, Google
Larry Page is now CEO of Alphabet, a new publicly traded parent company that includes Google, the Google X lab, and businesses such as Calico, Nest and Fiber. In August, Page announced that he'd be handing over his Google CEO post to the search giant's product czar, Sundar Pichai. The announcement came soon after Google stock surged in July, propelled by success in mobile search and with YouTube and a promise from new Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat to rein in spending.