AGE 60: Angela Merkel

Chancellor of Germany

What makes her powerful: In her third term as chancellor of Germany, Merkel continues to impress. She's been chancellor for longer than anyone in modern history and remains overwhelmingly popular. Germans want her to run for a fourth term.

She's got power both at home and abroad. She's one of the most formidable people to stand up to Putin and she's famously defended German interests during the euro zone debt crisis. She's managed to maintain record low unemployment levels and keep the economy afloat. Nothing important in Europe gets done without her say-so, whether that's a good thing or not, and she's often called the most powerful woman in the world.