Who are the most powerful women in the world in 2025? This is revealed by the updated Forbes ranking, which highlights charismatic and influential female figures in various fields.
Is power a woman? There’s no doubt that the role of women is slowly gaining ground in crucial sectors such as politics, finance, economics, and technology.
As it does every year, Forbes has analyzed the rise of prominent women globally, compiling a valuable and interesting ranking of the most powerful and influential women of the moment for 2025.
Italy also appears on the list with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 2024 also saw the political triumph of Claudia Sheinbaum, first female president of Mexico. Her analysis may be prophetic:
"Many of us have been told a version of history since we were children that would have us believe the course of humanity was guided only by men. But little by little, this vision has been reversed."
With this hope as a backdrop, here are the 10 most powerful women in the world in the updated Forbes ranking.
Who are the 10 most powerful women in the world in 2025
Forbes analyzed four parameters to compile the list: money, media, impact, and spheres of influence. Adding together these crucial factors in defining a person’s power resulted in a list of important women.
From politics to finance, technology, and media, there are 100 prominent female figures, with a combined economic power of $33 trillion and influence over over 1 billion people.
The podium is all European: Ursula von der Leyen, Christine Lagarde, and Giorgia Meloni are the top three most powerful women in the world according to experts. The former was confirmed as head of the EU Commission in a historic context in which Europe can become a leading figure.
The second is at the helm of the European Central Bank, a financial institution under scrutiny for its interest rate policy and its fight against inflation following the energy crisis and with the threat of tariffs looming over prices.
In third place stands out Giorgia Meloni, who became Italian Prime Minister in 2022 and is being closely watched. Her ability to centralize power and merit is building an image of a strong woman.
Below is the Forbes ranking of the 10 Most Powerful Women in the World:
- Ursuala von der Leyen - President of the EU Commission
- Christine Lagarde - President of the ECB
- Giorgia Meloni - Prime Minister of Italy
- Claudia Sheinbaum - President of Mexico
- Mary Barra - Chairman and CEO of GM
- Abigail Johnson - Chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments
- Julie Sweet - Chairman and CEO of Accenture
- Melinda French Gates - Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
- MacKenzie Scott - Philanthropist
- Jane Fraser - CEO of Citigroup
It’s worth noting that, according to Fortune, Mary Barra is the most influential woman in business for 2025. She is leading the company into cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and is moving closer to profitability in the electric vehicle sector. As 2025 approaches, GM’s future will depend on its ability to decisively lead the company despite political uncertainty while continuing to innovate.
In politics, despite ranking 28th, Forbes also highlights Nirmala Sitharaman
, the first woman to hold the full-time post of Finance Minister in India and to oversee what is likely to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Le 10 donne più potenti del mondo: classifica 2025
