Left to right - Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton

Women in Politics Top the List

 The top two power women in the annual Forbes Magazine World’s Most Powerful Women list are #1 Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and #2 is the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is head of the one real global economy in Europe and is the “undisputed” leader of the EU. Although overseeing a booming economy and falling unemployment, she contends with a weakening support base and crisis in the eurozone, where Germany is often in the unenviable position of bailing out its weaker neighbors.

In her second year on the job, Hillary Clinton continues to earn high marks for advancing U.S. interests and policies overseas and pushing women’s issues, development and education to the top of the foreign policy agenda.

Number three is Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, followed by number four, Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Inc., and number five is Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook.

First Lady Michelle Obama comes in at number eight.  IMF Chief Christine Lagarde is number nine and Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld is number 10.  Michele Bachmann is ranked #22, Arianne Huffington is #31 and Sarah Palin is #34.

The surprise on the list is Lady Gaga, coming in at #11.  Other celebrities include Oprah Winfrey at #14 and Beyonce Knowles at #18.

To read the complete list of the world’s power women, click here.