Families separated at the border between the United States and Mexico are among the shortlist of finalists for Time magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year.

The title recognises the person or group who most influenced the news and the world over the last year – for better or worse.

Recent selections have included the Silence Breakers of the #MeToo movement and Donald Trump.

This year’s shortlist also features the US president, along with Russian president Vladimir Putin and special counsel Robert Mueller, who was a runner up for last year’s title, and is looking at Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Christine Blasey Ford, who accused then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, also made the shortlist, as did March for our Lives activists who demonstrated across America for gun-control reforms following a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, and Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Show all 18 1 /18 Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium George W Bush - 2000 Elected President of the United States AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Rudy Giuliani - 2001 Mayor of New York at the time of 9/11, selected for his response to the attacks AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The Whistleblowers - 2002 Represented by Cynthia Cooper, Sherron Watkins (R) and Coleen Rowley (L) for coming forward with stories of corruption Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The American Soldier - 2003 Representing US armed forces around the world, most notably in Iraq AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium George W Bush - 2004 Returned as President of the United States AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The Good Samaritans - 2005 Represented by Bono, who had helped to organise the Live 8 concert and Bill and Melinda Gates who had founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium You - 2006 Awarded to you for creating content on the internet PA Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Vladimir Putin - 2007 Was to become Prime Minister of Russia, was President at the time AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Barack Obama - 2008 Elected the first black President of the United States Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Ben Bernanke - 2009 Chairman of the US Federal reserve at the time of the financial crash Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Mark Zuckerberg - 2010 Founder of Facebook Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The Protester - 2011 Represented protesters from events across the globe such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement and the Tea Party movement AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Barack Obama - 2012 Returned as President of the United States Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Pope Francis - 2013 Elected head of the Roman Catholic Church Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The Ebola fighters - 2014 The health workers who worked to stop the spread of Ebola in the West African epidemic AFP/Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Angela Merkel - 2015 The German Chancellor was awarded for her leadership in the Greek debt crisis and the Eurozone refugee crisis Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium Donald Trump - 2016 Elected President of the United States in November Getty Time magazine's persons of the year so far this millennium The Silence Breakers - 2017 The people who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment, including the figureheads of the #MeToo movement. Pictured is Rose McGowan, one of the women specifically honoured, addressing the Women's March in October 2017 AFP/Getty

The list was rounded off by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, who has met his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un three times, and Meghan Markle, who married Prince Harry earlier this year.

K-pop sensation BTS won this year’s online reader’s poll for Time‘s Person of the Year, followed by planet Earth and the Thai cave divers.

Other figures include former first lady Michelle Obama, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Brazil’s far-right new president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Donald Trump claims Time Magazine told him he was 'probably' going to be Man of the Year