Michelle Obama and Bill Gates top YouGov list of most admired people in the world
YouGov has released the results of an international poll to discover the most admired men and women in the world.
The poll, which interviewed upwards of 42,000 in 41 different countries, released a worldwide ranking which comprises politicians including the Obamas and the Trumps, entertainers, sports professionals and royalty.
Although Angelina Jolie may have topped the list of most admired previously, former First Lady Michelle Obama took the top spot and Jolie slid down two places to third, just behind Oprah Winfrey and followed closely behind by Queen Elizabeth II.
Other names to make the list include Harry Potter actor Emma Watson, activist Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton (who slid down three places) and musician Taylor Swift.
Newcomers to the top ten also included Peng Liyuan, the wife to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Nobel Prize winner Tu Youyou.
Most Admired Women in the World
Michelle Obama
Oprah Winfrey
Angelina Jolie
Queen Elizabeth II
Emma Watson
Malala Yousafzai
Peng Liyuan
Hillary Clinton
Tu Youyou
Taylor Swift
Madonna
Angela Merkel
Deepika Padukone
Priyanka Chopra
Ellen Degeneres
Aishwarya Rai
Sushmita Sen
Theresa May
Melania Trump
Yang Mi
The list of most admired men resembled previous years, with Microsoft founder Bill Gates retaining his place at the top of the list. The four next most admired men also remained the same as the last poll’s results, with Barack Obama, actor Jackie Chan, Xi Jinping and Alibaba founder Jack Ma following Gates’ lead.
Footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also climbed the list, rising three and two places respectively into the top ten. Indian PM Narendra Modi also featured on the list alongside the Dalai Lama. Vladimir Putin, who took tenth place, experience the largest fall in the rankings for men - plummeting down four spots.
Most Admired Men in the World
Bill Gates
Barack Obama
Jackie Chan
Xi Jinping
Jack Ma
Narendra Modi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Dalai Lama
Lionel Messi
Vladimir Putin
Warren Buffett
Amitabh Bachchan
Elon Musk
Donald Trump
Pope Francis
Shahrukh Khan
Imran Khan
Salman Khan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Andy Lau
UK-specific results differed to the global rankings. For example, UK participants viewed presenter Sir David Attenborough as the most admired man and many royals featured on the list as well including Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince of Wales.
British politicians also featured, with Nigel Farage taking seventh place and Jeremy Corbyn following closely behind in ninth. Trump did not make the top ten, but did slide into eleventh.
Most Admired Men in the UK
David Attenborough
Barack Obama
Prince William
Prince Harry
Bill Gates
Dalai Lama
Nigel Farage
Charles, Prince of Wales
Jeremy Corbyn
Pope Francis
Donald Trump
Elon Musk
Lionel Messi
Jackie Chan
Cristiano Ronaldo
Warren Buffet
Vladimir Putin
Imran Khan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Narendra Modi
For Brits, Queen Elizabeth was the most admired woman in the UK - with an admiration score that nearly doubled second place holder Michelle Obama’s.
While they didn’t appear on the global ranking, Dame Judi Dench and JK Rowling followed in third and fourth place respectively. British and European politicans also featured on the list, with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas taking sixth place, German PM Angela Merkel taking seventh, Theresa May taking ninth and Scottish politician Nicola Sturgeon taking tenth.
Most Admired Women in the UK
Queen Elizabeth II
Michelle Obama
Dame Judi Dench
JK Rowling
Malala Yousafzai
Caroline Lucas
Angela Merkel
Oprah Winfrey
Theresa May
Nicola Sturgeon
Emma Watson
Holly Willoughby
Ellen Degeneres
Hillary Clinton
Angelina Jolie
Madonna
Taylor Swift
Melania Trump
Priyanka Chopra
Tu Youyou
Participants were asked three questions to determine the results, the first of which was, “Thinking about people alive in the world today, which [man or woman] do you most admire?”
Following the answers, YouGov compiled a shortlist of men and women and asked participants “who do you truly admire?” and “who do you MOST admire?” to calculate a definitive admiration score - used to inform the rankings.
The full list and country-specific rankings can be viewed on the official YouGov site here.