To make the list, Forbes looked at how many people a person had influence over. For heads of state, they looked at the population. For religious leaders, the size of their flock, and so on. Next, they looked at financial worth in relation to their peers. For instance, net worth for billionaires, and GDP for political figures.

Thirdly, they looked at global reach. To be on Forbes Most Powerful list, you have to be able to influence people around the globe. And lastly, they looked at use of power. What good is it being a billionaire if all your money sits in a savings account?

Based on that criteria, Forbes picked 68 people to put on their Most Powerful People on Earth list. Here are the top ten most powerful people.

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