"The world’s most powerful person for four years running, Russia’s president has exerted his country’s influence in nearly every corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the US presidential elections, Putin continues to get what he wants," Forbes said adding that Putin’s "reach has magnified in the recent years."

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Vladimir Putin has topped the Forbes’ World's Most Powerful People list for the fourth year in a row.

Putin tops Forbes’ 2015 ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People for third year

US President-Elect Donald Trump is in second place, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is third, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken fourth place while Pope Francis is fifth.

"In second place, President-elect Donald Trump has a seeming immunity to scandal, both houses of Congress on his side, and a personal net worth in the billions," Forbes said. "And the third most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman: Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and the backbone of the European Union."

Incumbent US President Barack Obama came in 48th place. UK Prime Minister Theresa May was ranked 13th, French President Francois Hollande is 23rd while Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in 37th place.

Apart from Putin, one more Russian has made it into the list: business magnate Alisher Usmanov was ranked 58th.

Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Janet Yellen is in sixth place, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is seventh. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin have been ranked eighth and 30th, respectively. Apple CEO Tim Cook is in 32nd place while media mogul Rupert Murdoch is 35th.