50 People Who Matter 2010

The New Statesman’s list of individuals with global influence and the power to change our world.

By Staff blogger Published 27 September 2010

What do Lady Gaga and David Cameron have in common? Julian Assange and Steve Jobs? Jacob Zuma and Angelina Jolie? They all have world-changing potential. And they are new entries in our annual list of the individuals who have global influence – for good or ill.

The New Statesman 50 People Who Matter 2010 are:

1. (2) Rupert Murdoch
2. (1) Barack Obama
3. (-) Mahmoud Ahmedinijad
4. (10) Xi Jinping
5. (-) Steve Jobs
6. (26) Pope Benedict XVI
7. (24) Ashfaq Kayani
8. (12) Angela Merkel
9. (4) Eric Schmidt, Larry Page & Sergey Brin
10. (44) Hugo Chavez
11. (-) Binyamin Netanyahu
12. (12) David Petraeus
13. (-) Sarah Palin
14. (-) Craig Venter
15. (-) David Cameron
16. (13) Bill Gates
17. (-) Felipe Calderon
18. (-) Khaled Meshal
19. (25) Warren Buffett
20. (7) Vladimir Putin
21. (8) Osama bin Laden
22. (-) Angelina Jolie
23. (-) Julian Assange
24. (-) Lloyd Blankfein
25. (-) Hillary Clinton
26. (-) Mark Zuckerberg
27. (-) Ratan Tata
28. (-) Stephenie Meyer
29. (31) Sonia Gandhi
30. (-) James Cameron
31. (28) Ingvar Kamprad
32. (-) Stephen McIntyre
33. (-) Moqtada al-Sadr
34. (-) Aung San Suu Kyi
35. (-) Margaret Chan
36. (-) Jacob Zuma
37. (-) Bob Diamond
38. (35) Oprah Winfrey
39. (-) Paul Krugman
40. (36) Mohammed Yunus
41. (34) Simon Cowell
42. (-) Zaha Hadid
43. (22) Amartya Sen
44. (-) Lady Gaga
45. (6) Malalai Joya
46. (-) John Lasseter
47. (-) Julia Gillard
48. (-) Han Han
49. (14) Paul Kagame
50. (-) Caster Semenya

Previous year's ranking in brackets, with (-) denoting a new entry.

Entries compiled by Caroline Crampton, Ollie Cussen, George Eaton, Sophie Elmhirst, Mehdi Hasan, James Macintyre, Patrick Osgood, Nick Petrie, Duncan Robinson, Samira Shackle and Daniel Trilling.

All photos by Getty Images.

43 comments

Thu, 2010-09-30 00:47 — Bailey (not verified)

I find it humorous that Stephenie Meye comes in ahead of Oprah Winfrey! Just pointing it out! XD

Wed, 2010-10-06 13:34 — GrantB (not verified)

jakerman - totally unsuccessfully, I might add, along with the "consensus" of other commenters

Fri, 2010-12-03 16:54 — Pijush (not verified)

Recently Norway released a documentary on Dr. Yunus's fraudulent activities in "Cought in the micro-debt".

It's the first example in the world that a culprit/fraud like Yunus concoctated his activities to achieve the Nobel Peace Prize. he must be tried in the local & international court and the peace prize must be withdrawn.
Thanks.
Pijush
Florida

Wed, 2010-09-29 00:24 — William Nicholson (not verified)

Steve McIntyre is indeed a hero. He should have won a Nobel not a man who has never done anything but be a politician.

Thu, 2010-09-30 03:05 — Frustrated (not verified)

@PUZZLED - Julia Gillard is the worlds & Australia first female Prime Minister. Why don't you wake up, educate yourself on world topics, before you comment on who matters and who doesn't.

However, I very much agree with Lady Gaga. Go Mommy!

Wed, 2010-09-29 16:43 — Oliver K. Manuel (not verified)

Thanks to Steve McIntyre and a few other brave souls, the Fairy Castle of Government Science is crumbling!

See Physics World news stories about the appointment of another Nobel Prize winner to try to repair damages

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43885

And the latest news on the Sun's darkest secrets

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43718

Thank you, Steve, for having the courage to speak the truth.

With kind regards,
Oliver K. Manuel http://myprofile.cos.com/manuelo09

Wed, 2010-09-29 00:58 — Merete (not verified)

Why is Zygmunt Bauman not included in your list of "50 people who matter". The Polish sociologist who coined concepts like: liquid society, liquid love, mixofolia, mixofobia, does matter a hell of a lot.

I find it unbelievable that Zygmunt Bauman the Polish sociologist is not included in your list "50 People who matter 2010", the academic who has so brilliantly coined the concepts which defines today's society: Liquid Modernity, Liqiud Love, Liquid Fear, and Mixofilia versus Mixofobia. I reckon that that you find films in 3D and Lady Gaga 'matter more'. So I ask you: to who?

I see James Cameron is in your list so I must conclude that you consider 3D & Lady Gaga more important than the terms which define our complex society today.

What a blunder!

Wed, 2010-09-29 01:00 — Merete (not verified)

Wed, 2010-09-29 01:11 — Merete (not verified)

I find it unbelievable that Zygmunt Bauman the Polish sociologist is not included on your list "50 People who matter 2010", the academic who has so brilliantly coined the concepts which defines today's society: Liquid Modernity, Liqiud Love, Liquid Fear, and Mixofilia versus Mixofobia. I reckon that that you find films in 3D and Lady Gaga 'matter more'. So I ask you: to who?

Wed, 2010-09-29 01:35 — PUZZLED (not verified)

Who in the world is Gillard is she an actress?
at least people know lady Gaga sorry we do know who Gillard really is ie a radical left leading all for choice, so long as its her own choice her own way and no one elses choice really matters type of person !In other words a dominator!
We dont think she will move anyone forward only to the left and backwards!