PM Modi Among Top 10 Most Powerful People On Earth, Chinese President Xi Tops List

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has been ranked ninth among the most powerful people in the world by Forbes, in a list that is topped by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Economic Times has reported.

This is the first time that PM Modi has made it to the top ten in Forbes annual listing of the 75 most powerful people on the planet.

"There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of The World's Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," Forbes said.

The only other Indian on the list is Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who has been placed at the 32nd spot.

The Chinese President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, pushed Russian President Vladimir Putin to the second spot. US President Donald Trump has been ranked third in the list. Putin had been topping the list for four consecutive years, marking the increasing pull President Xi has in world affairs.

On PM Modi, Forbes has remarked, "Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as warming affects millions of his country's rural citizens."

Summing up the report, Forbes said, "This year's list highlights the consolidation of power in the hands of an elite few."