Narendra Modi ranked among world's 10 most powerful people

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked 9th among the world's most powerful people, Forbes said in a statement on Thursday.

For the fourth consecutive year, Russian President Vladimir Putin topped Forbes’ eighth annual ranking of The World’s 74 Most Powerful People.

The only other Indian to make it to the list is Reliance Industries chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani, ranked 38. (Reliance Industries is the owner of Network 18, publishers of Forbes India)

“Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as planetary warming will deeply affect millions of his country's rural and most vulnerable citizens,” Forbes said.

President-elect Donald Trump seizes the No. 2 slot, up from No. 72 in 2015 when he first appeared on the list. The jump from No. 72 to No. 2 is the biggest leap ever seen on the list, according to Forbes.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ranked third, followed by Chinese politician Xi Jinping; while Pope Francis, current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, takes the current position.

Federal Reserve Chairperson, Janet Allen (Rank 6); Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Chairperson, Bill Gates (Rank 7), Alphabet CEO, Larry Page (Rank 8), and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Rank 10) complete the top 10 positions.

“Four factors were taken into account to select each of the World’s Most Powerful People: how many people they have power over; the financial resources they control; if they have influence in more than one sphere; and how actively they wield their power to change the world,” Forbes said.

There are nearly 7.4 billion people on the planet. Forbes’ list of The World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most.

“Forbes’ list this year of The World's Most Powerful People reflects rapid and profound change happening around the globe. The biggest trend this year is likely the rise to power of Donald Trump, as well as the increasing power of his supporters and allies,” says Forbes Contributing Editor David Ewalt.

Click here to view The World's Most Powerful People