Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named world’s most powerful person by Forbes magazine.
"Putin 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," the magazine said of the Russian leader, who has topped the list three years in a row.
Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel took over the second spot from U.S. President Barack Obama, who dropped to third.
It marks the first time a U.S. president has not been in the top two in the seven-year history of the rankings, according to the 73-person list named by Forbes.
Pope Francis was named fourth most powerful, the same as last year, and China President Xi Jinping came in at fifth, dropping two spots.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the biggest mover on the list, rising 22 places to 49th.
Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were both on the list, ranking 58th and 72nd, respectively.
The highest-ranking newcomer to the list is Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who ranked 14th.
Forbes said several factors were taken into account to select the most powerful people, including “the amount of money they control, the number of people they impact, their total spheres of influence, and how actively they wield their power.”
