The most powerful women in the world — as deemed by Forbes — have been revealed.
With the release of their female-specific 2024 Power List, the magazine has crowned 100 women the ultimate global players.
Among the ranks are musicians, moguls, and world leaders, their combined powers a priceless example for the next generation of women leaders. Of course, Forbes is a finance magazine, so their actual combined power totals $33 trillion.
This has not been a blockbuster year for women in power, the magazine acknowledged. The loss of Vice President Kamala Harris and America’s failure to elect a female president (again) stands out as a setback, and several other women leaders across the globe stepped down from their posts.
“The support of female leadership is not going to happen just because we presumed history would make the world more equal,” Michelle Harrison, founder of the index, told the magazine. “Women are experiencing a series of regressive forces that make their ability to achieve and retain power harder, not easier.”
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The announcement comes on the heels of the 30 under 30 List, another highly-anticipated compilation from the publication that identifies musicians, actors and, more recently, TikTok personalities who are remaking their industries and mining success.
Forbes 100 most powerful women: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Oprah among notable names
Both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift made the list in spots 43 and 34, respectively.
The two artists also topped Billboard’s list of the best pop stars of the 21st century released this year. With two global tours that remade concert culture, both Beyoncé and Swift drew on powerful fandoms to fuel ticket and merchandise sales, adding to their already growing wealth.
Oprah and Rihanna also made the list, though perhaps not for the roles that made them famous. Oprah was lauded for her media and business empire, made possible in part by the profits from her original talk show and movies like “The Color Purple.”
Rihanna‘s spot is owed to her beauty and fashion lines Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, which have dominated the singer’s career since she stopped releasing albums in 2016.
WNBA powerhouse Caitlin Clark closed out the list in spot 100, spotlighted as a driving force behind the league’s increased viewership. At 22, she is the youngest person on this year’s list.
So, who topped this year’s Forbes 100 most powerful women list?
- Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission
- Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank
- Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy
- Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico
- Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
- Abigail Johnson, CEO of Fidelity Investments
- Julie Sweet, chairwoman and CEO of Accenture
- Melina French Gates, philanthropist
- Mackenzie Scott, philanthropist
- Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup
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How does Forbes decide on their list?
The magazine relies on four main metrics to compile its list: money, media, impact and spheres of influence. For political leaders, GDP and population are also taken into account, and for businesswomen, revenue, valuation and size of a firm are considered, the magazine reports.
A woman’s presence in the media — both social and traditional — is also an important factor.
