Russian President Vladimir Putin has been ranked as the most powerful person in the world for the third year in a row.
Forbes magazine made the rank putting Vladimir Putin above Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked 9th position in the list published on Thursday.
“Putin continues to prove he’s one of the few men in the world powerful enough to do what he wants,” the magazine said.
Angela Merkel, the most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes, has risen from fifth place last year to second place in 2015.
Her strong stances when dealing with the influx of Syrian refugees and the Greek financial crisis brought her up to the new level.
Barack Obama has been placed third position in the list as in the closing stages of his second term in office, he is losing influence and power.
However, Forbes still lauds the United States as “the world’s greatest economic, cultural, diplomatic, technological and military power.”
In describing its list, the magazine says: “The men and women who are featured on Forbes’ annual ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People are the 0.00000001% – the global elite whose actions move the planet. These heads of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs truly run the world.”