Forbes’ 2025 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, released globally in December 2025, spotlights how artificial intelligence, high finance, political leadership and popular culture are redefining power, with nearly half of honorees serving as CEOs, 16 as world leaders and a growing cohort of AI-focused executives and cultural innovators influencing business, policy and public discourse worldwide, according to the magazine’s editors.


Image placeholder referenced in source content; readers are encouraged to consult the official Forbes feature for photography accompanying the 2025 list.

Background: Inside Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women List

The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women ranking is an annual list compiled by Forbes, which says it evaluates candidates using metrics that typically include money, media, impact and spheres of influence. The 2025 edition, as described in Forbes’ own coverage, “encompasses the forces shaping today’s global landscape” by drawing from business, politics, finance, technology and culture.


While the exact weighting of criteria is proprietary, Forbes editors state that they look at organizational size and performance, visibility in traditional and digital media, and the scale of an individual’s decision‑making power. Analysts note that such lists are inherently interpretive and reflect editorial judgment, but they are widely cited in discussions of global leadership and gender representation.


Commenting on the 2025 list, Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen, is quoted by Forbes as saying that “power today isn’t confined to any one sector or title,” emphasizing that the ranking is meant to capture cross‑sector influence rather than a narrow focus on political office or corporate revenue.


AI As a New Power Lever

Forbes highlights artificial intelligence as one of the defining forces behind the 2025 ranking, arguing that AI has become an “ultimate power lever” for leaders who control its development, infrastructure and deployment. The list points to executives who are either integrating AI into large organizations or building the infrastructure that underpins AI systems.


Among those cited by Forbes:

  • Julie Sweet, ranked #6, is credited with bringing AI “into the operational core” of some of the world’s largest enterprises through Accenture’s consulting and technology services.
  • Ruth Porat, at #12, is described as directing billions of dollars toward AI infrastructure in her role as Alphabet’s president and chief investment officer, helping to fund data centers and cloud capabilities that support large-scale AI workloads.
  • Lisa Su, CEO of AMD and ranked #10, is recognized for leading a major semiconductor firm whose high‑performance chips are central to AI training and inference, giving her significant influence over the hardware backbone of the technology.
  • Daniela Amodei, cofounder and president of Anthropic and ranked #73, is cited as helping to “define its technical frontier,” reflecting the growing prominence of AI safety and research companies in global technology debates.

Technology researchers note that the list’s focus on AI highlights a shift from consumer‑facing applications toward “upstream” infrastructure power—such as cloud platforms, specialized chips and foundation models. Critics of AI‑driven concentration of power, including some civil society groups, argue that recognizing these leaders without equal emphasis on regulation or accountability could underplay public concerns about bias, surveillance and labor disruption. Supporters counter that visibility for women in AI leadership may help diversify decision‑making in a field historically led by men.


Concept illustration of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Rise of CEOs and Founders

According to Forbes’ description, CEOs make up 44% of the 2025 list, the highest share in five years, and 10 honorees are company founders. Editors present this as evidence of a “sustained rise of women building, scaling and running major organizations.”


The prominence of chief executives reflects wider trends in corporate governance and investor expectations, where the CEO role often carries outsized visibility and stock‑market influence. In 2025, women leading global companies in technology, finance, consumer products and media feature prominently, reinforcing the narrative that boardrooms are slowly diversifying, even as women remain underrepresented overall.


Governance experts point out that lists centered on individual leaders can obscure the role of broader teams, boards and policy environments. Advocates for gender equality in business, however, frequently cite these rankings as a way to showcase role models and to pressure companies and investors to address leadership gaps, pay equity and inclusion.


Women Heads of State and Political Power

Forbes reports that 16 world leaders appear on the 2025 list, including eight serving heads of state. The magazine frames this as marking “a new era of women’s political power,” with leaders from regions such as Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.


Among the notable newcomers cited by Forbes are:

  • Sanae Takaichi, described as Prime Minister of Japan, included as a symbol of shifting political representation in a country long dominated by male leaders.
  • Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah, referenced as President of Namibia, reflecting the growing number of women in top executive roles across the African continent.
  • Inga Ruginienė, listed as Prime Minister of Lithuania, representing leadership in the European Union’s political landscape.

Political scientists note that the presence of women in top offices does not automatically translate into gender‑equitable policies, but it can influence legislative agendas, cabinet composition and public discourse. Organizations such as UN Women have documented that female political leaders often prioritize social protections, healthcare and education, though policy choices vary widely by country and ideology.


Some observers caution that a focus on high‑profile leaders may overshadow local politicians, activists and civil servants whose work shapes policy but does not feature in global rankings. Others argue that symbolically powerful roles can help normalize women’s leadership and challenge ingrained biases among voters and parties.


Financial Executives and Control of Capital

Forbes emphasizes that financial executives on the 2025 list “are commanding unprecedented authority over global capital.” The ranking notes the influence of both long‑established leaders and a “new wave” of finance chiefs at major institutions across the United States, Europe and Asia.


Among the figures highlighted:

  • Jane Fraser of Citigroup, ranked #8, is recognized as the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank, overseeing operations across dozens of countries and trillions of dollars in assets.
  • Abigail Johnson of Fidelity, at #9, is acknowledged for steering one of the world’s largest asset‑management firms, with influence over retirement savings, mutual funds and institutional investments.
  • Kedia Gunjan at U.S. Bank, ranked #23, and Tan Su Shan at DBS, ranked #29, are identified as part of a new generation of female leaders in banking and wealth management, particularly in North America and Asia.

Economists and market analysts often describe large financial institutions as “gatekeepers” of global capital, with significant capacity to shape which sectors and regions receive investment. Supporters of their inclusion on power rankings argue that financial decision‑makers have direct influence over economic growth, climate finance and technological innovation. Critics contend that celebrating individual leaders in finance can draw attention away from systemic risks, such as inequality, debt burdens and regulatory gaps.


Financial district city skyline symbolizing global banking and capital markets
Global financial centers play a central role in allocating capital worldwide. Photo by Zhu Peng on Pexels.

Cultural Innovators and the Scale of Influence

Beyond boardrooms and government offices, Forbes’ 2025 list gives substantial space to cultural figures, noting that entertainment leaders collectively hold a “social reach of over one billion followers.” The outlet frames this as evidence that modern power extends across platforms such as streaming services, social media and global fan communities.


The list’s notable newcomers include:

  • Kim Kardashian, cofounder of the apparel brand SKIMS, recognized both for her business ventures and for a large digital following that influences fashion and beauty trends.
  • “The Women of KPop Demon Hunters,” a reference to creatives behind an animated project that Forbes says has “energized the cultural zeitgeist and mobilized a global audience,” illustrating the international reach of Korean pop culture and related media.
  • Bari Weiss, identified as editor‑in‑chief of CBS News in Forbes’ description, reflecting the role of editors and media executives in shaping news agendas and public conversation.

Media scholars often distinguish between “attention power,” measured by audience size and engagement, and “institutional power,” derived from control over budgets or editorial lines. Forbes’ inclusion of entertainers and media leaders suggests that it treats cultural influence as comparable to corporate and political authority, at least in terms of reach and agenda‑setting capacity.


Some critics of such rankings argue that equating social‑media metrics with power risks overstating the long‑term impact of celebrity status, which can be volatile. Others note that celebrities and creators increasingly leverage their platforms to influence policy debates, philanthropy and consumer behavior, giving them real leverage in discussions on issues such as criminal justice, mental health and climate action.


Audience at a live concert with bright stage lights symbolizing cultural influence
Global entertainment and social media give cultural figures vast, borderless audiences. Photo by Sebastian Ervi on Pexels.

Notable Newcomers Across Sectors

Forbes’ 2025 list features several newcomers who, according to the magazine, illustrate emerging centers of power in technology, media, national leadership and corporate finance. Among those explicitly named in Forbes’ write‑up are:


  • Julie Gao, chief financial officer of ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, reflecting the ongoing debate over social‑media platforms’ economic and political influence.
  • Sarah Friar, chief financial officer of OpenAI, underscoring the financial and strategic importance of major AI labs at a time of accelerating investment and regulatory scrutiny.
  • Daniela Amodei, already cited above as cofounder and president of Anthropic, representing the role of AI safety and alignment research in the broader technology ecosystem.
  • Mary Vilakazi, CEO of FirstRand Group, one of Africa’s largest financial institutions, signaling growing attention to financial hubs beyond North America and Western Europe.

These additions suggest that Forbes is tracking not only traditional centers of power but also organizations at the heart of current policy debates—such as AI governance, data privacy and cross‑border financial flows. Observers note that the inclusion of AI‑focused CFOs highlights how capital allocation and corporate structure within AI companies are now seen as matters of global significance.


Debates Over Power Rankings and Representation

As with previous editions, the 2025 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list has prompted discussions about how power is defined and measured. Supporters regard the ranking as a useful barometer of women’s representation at the top of institutions that shape economies, laws and culture. They argue that spotlighting female leaders across continents and sectors can challenge stereotypes and provide visibility for underrepresented groups.


Critics, including some academics and gender‑equality advocates, often raise several concerns:

  • Methodology: The lack of fully transparent scoring can make it difficult to assess why certain leaders rank above others or why some sectors are more heavily represented.
  • Systemic context: Focusing on individual success stories may obscure structural barriers that continue to limit the number of women in leadership, particularly women of color, women from the Global South and those outside elite institutions.
  • Western and corporate bias: Past analyses of similar lists have argued that they tend to overrepresent leaders from North America and Europe, and from large corporations, relative to activists, scientists, labor leaders or community organizers.

Forbes acknowledges that its list is selective and shaped by editorial judgment. In its 2025 commentary, the publication positions the ranking as a snapshot of “influence in 2025” that “moves across borders, industries, and platforms,” in McGrath’s words, rather than as a definitive index of all forms of power.



Conclusion: A Snapshot of Shifting Power in 2025

The 2025 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, as presented by Forbes, portrays a landscape in which power is dispersed across AI laboratories and cloud infrastructure, multinational banks, national governments and global cultural platforms. From executives like Julie Sweet, Ruth Porat and Lisa Su to political leaders in Japan, Namibia and Lithuania, and from financial chiefs at Citigroup and FirstRand to cultural figures associated with SKIMS and “KPop Demon Hunters,” the ranking captures how technology, capital, governance and media intersect.


While debates continue over methodology, representation and the balance between institutional and grassroots power, the 2025 list functions as one reference point for understanding who shapes major decisions and narratives in the current moment. As AI, digital platforms and geopolitical shifts continue to evolve, observers expect future rankings to reflect further changes in how influence is accumulated, exercised and contested around the world.