A tech pioneer and actress-turned-humanitarian has once again dominated the annual study conducted by YouGov on the 20 most admired men and women in the world. Angelina Jolie has earned the top spot for the third year in a row since a separate female category was introduced while her male counterpart, Bill Gates has secured the Most Admired Man in the World ever since the list was inaugurated.
Aishwarya Rai
By: Steph Cruz
Spanning across 35 countries and online interviews with over 37,000 people, the results were derived from a combination of responses between two questions. From a multitude of selections, the respondent gets to pick out who they admire and then narrowing it down to the one personality they admire the most. From these results, YouGov was able to determine both the intensity of the support and global reach of the figure.
A powerhouse group of women from the entertainment world prevailed in the list alongside notable figures from politics and activism. From the Queen of all Media to Bollywood’s finest, here are your 2018’s top 20 most admired women in the world.
20. Elizabeth Warren
Closing the 20th spot for the list is the senior Senator for Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren. Warren fights for the middle and working class Americans.
Elizabeth Warren
19. Zhao Wei
The Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer has been actively involved in charity and disaster relief work like the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. She also launched the V-Love Foundation which aims to provide financial help and support for transplant surgeries of leukemia patients from the ages 3 to 22 years old.
Zhao Wei
18. Fan Bingbing
Not only is Fan Bingbing a brilliant actor, but she is also a business woman all while finding the time for philanthropy. She co-founded Heart Ali to help finance children suffering congenital heart defects.
Fan Bingbing
17. Yang Mi
Yang Mi is a Chinese actress who received recognition for her leading roles in various television series and ranks third in Forbes China Celebrity 100 list. In a place with no history of philanthropy, Michael Kors enlists Yang Mi as the brand ambassador for Watch Hunger Stop campaign in China in the fight against global hunger.
Yang Mi
16. Liu Yifei
After screening nearly 1,000 candidates, Disney has finally casted Liu Yifei as Mulan for its live action remake of the 1998 animated film. Liu Yifei also starred in critically acclaimed films and became the ambassador of China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF). She also contributed donations to the China Children Emergency relief fund to help support children affected and orphaned by the quake.
15. Theresa May
Currently the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2016, Theresa May took over from David Cameron during one of UK’s most unstable times in the recent political history.
Theresa May
14. Gal Gadot
Securing the 14th place in the list is no other than Wonder Woman herself. The Israeli actress leverages the use of social media to advocate for the non-profit organization, Pencils of Promise. Gadot promotes equal access to education for children and raises funds to build schools in underprivileged areas around the world.
Gal Gadot
13. Deepika Padukone
As one of the highest-paid actresses in the world according to Forbes Magazine, Deepika made her Hollywood debut with xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. She is also an advocate for mental health after battling depression and wants to break the stigma by speaking up to help others struggling with depression. “If I can impact one life in this entire process of speaking up and letting people know that it’s something I have been through and something that I could deal with because I had a fantastic support system.”
Deepika Padukone
12. Priyanka Chopra
Another beauty queen herself, Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra passionately supports causes like human trafficking, slavery,poverty, human rights, child education and women empowerment. She was appointed as the national ambassador for UNICEF to educate children in India in 2010.
Priyanka Chopra
11. Aishwarya Rai
Not only was she Miss World in 1994 but Aishwarya is the ambassador of Smile Train, a foundation that helps children with cleft lip or palate and continues to support causes such as HIV and AIDS prevention, marrow and organ donation and helps the mentally and physically challenged people. She also founded the Aishwarya Rai Foundation to gain funds to help and support people in need in India.
Aishwarya Rai
10. Madonna
Establishing herself as a pop icon, Madonna uses her platform to to bring an end to the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi’s 2,000,000 orphans and vulnerable children once through her non-profit organization, Raising Malawi.
Madonna
9. Taylor Swift
America’s sweetheart is more than her award-winning records and sold-out arena shows, Swift also actively donates to charities and performs at fundraising and benefit concerts.
Taylor Swift
8. Angela Merkel
She led the transformation of German politics since being voted into office in 2005. The Chancellor steered Germany safely and fended off a long-term recession at the time the global economic crisis hit. Her achievements have seen her top Forbes’ most powerful women list eight times.
Angela Merkel
7. Malala Yousafzai
Malala is the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a renowned Pakistani activist for female education rights and has been engaged in activist work since she was only 11 years old. Malala was shot in the face by a Taliban gunman and remained in critical condition for several months. After undergoing surgery and rehabilitation, Yousafzai continued giving speeches and her tragic story moved people to support the cause she’s fighting for.
Malala Yousafzai
6. Emma Watson
Although gaining popularity at only nine years old for her lead role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, Emma Watson is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and actively fights for women’s rights and gender equality.
Emma Watson
5. Hillary Clinton
The Queen of Pantsuits, Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments in the years as the First Lady, Secretary of State and U.S. Senator revolve around health care, the military, and families, especially women and children.
Hillary Clinton
4. Queen Elizabeth II
After completing more than five decades of her reign and being the world’s oldest ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth has achieved an excellent reputation as a good and wise ruler therefore loved and respected by all her people.
Queen Elizabeth II
3. Oprah Winfrey
From actress, talk show host, producer, to philanthropist and CEO, Oprah Winfrey is unarguable one of the most influential women in the world. One of her remarkable charities, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation provides grants to not-for-profit organizations while the Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation focuses on the operation of Leadership Academy for Girls.
Oprah Winfrey
2. Michelle Obama
The Obama Administration has accomplished a lot during those 8 years in office to move the country forward. Former President Obama’s right hand, Michelle launched a campaign in a nationwide effort to bring awareness and importance to staying healthy and the challenges of childhood obesity. She also created Let Girls Learn with her husband to address the challenges preventing adolescent girls around the world access to quality education.
Michelle Obama
1. Angelina Jolie
The public’s endless curiosity about her personal life may have made her a tabloid fixture yet it’s worth noting that her charity works and philanthropic efforts don’t go unnoticed as well. Aside from representing United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie has also set up the Maddox Joli-Pitt Foundation to establish healthcare and education opportunities in Cambodia.
Angelina Jolie
-GG
22 comments
I am glad that these women are doing their part to make this world a better place. I especially admire Malala and Priyanka Chopra for their work in helping the most vulnerable in society.
How is Michelle Obama not on top of the list? The woman is incredible.
This is a fantastic list of women that are helping to change the world. I admire a lot of women on this list and feel they definitely show young ladies that anything is possible
WOW! What a great list of inspirational women from around the world that are using their popularity and talent to help those in need. It is so wonderful to see an article that lifts you up and doesn’t bring you down like some news celebrity stories do. Bravo!
Such inspiring women! I keep reading their activities and could relate to them here in the list.
This is such a wonderful list of such strong and admirable women! Absolutely inspiring….
thanks for sharing your list of these inspiring women. It’s good to see so many active in shaping the world.
What a great list of amazing women … they’re so inspiring for many of us. I’d love to be on such a list one day, but it’s difficult and restricted only to the greatest personalities. 🙂
Oh yes, I just read this news this morning! So proud, our 3 Indian women on this list! Way to go! More power to all of these women! Hope they all do good in their respective fields.
Oh this list is amazing. I love most of these ladies and you introduced me so some I haven’t heard of yet. Thank you!
What an awesome list! There are a few on here I hadn’t heard of but loved reading about the contributions they have made and learning new names. Some I do recognize, and love, such as Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, and a few others.
This is a nice list. I wish there were more non-actors on it, but glad that it features diversity.
This is such a fantastic list of Women. There are a few I hadn’t heard of but I am glad that I did, All of these women have done remarkable things. Thanks for sharing.
This an awesome list of great and powerful women. I know most of them, thanks for sharing.
What an incredible group of women using their passion and platform to make a difference. Thanks for sharing the list. 🙂
strong and admirable women who use their voice and power to make the world a better place, if only everyone was like that!
Thanks for sharing! It’s nice to know these wealthy people are doing something constructive and uplifting with their money.
I am so sad that I have only heard of a handful of the women listed. Definitely something to check out. I wish though that Michelle Obama was in the number on slot.
Oh this is great. I love seeing new women being recognized from different cultures.
These women are all so inspirational. Malala has done more with her life and she’s like half my age. Amazing.
Such inspiring women….I especially admire Deepika Padukone , Malala Yousafzai , Aishwarya Rai Priyanka Chopra for their work helping in society. these women are all so inspirational.
I’ll bite my tongue, but I will say I don’t like Theresa May. But there’s some amazing women on this list! Michelle and Malala being two of my favourites!