Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is the world’s third most influential person, according to Forbes magazine, which published the list of the world’s 67 most influential politicians, business leaders, and other individuals.

The two individuals who ranked higher than Putin were China’s Hu Jintao, who claimed second place, and U.S. President Barack Obama, who took the top spot. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev placed at number 43 on the list, ranking behind most other influential European leaders.

Putin enjoys great popularity in Russia. A recent survey of 1,800 Russians found that Putin is the person that most Russians associate with the term “a real man.” The same survey found that Putin is more popular with Russian women than with men.

Others who made Forbes’ list of influential people included Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi (12th), Germany’s Angela Merkel (15th), and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (29th). Also of note were terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden, who placed 37th, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who placed 24th. View the full list here.