The 15 most powerful people in Asia

Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters

Chinese president Xi Jinping is the most powerful person in Asia.

In addition to its claims as the largest and most populous continent in the world, Asia also houses some of the world's top superpowers - including four of the top five militaries and seven of the 10 fastest growing economies.

The continent's growing influence on the world stage has similarly elevated the clout of its top political and business leaders. Business Insider recently ranked the 50 most powerful people in the world, and 15 hailed from Asia.

To compile the ranking, we considered more than 100 of the most influential players in business, politics, entertainment, and tech, judging their influence by economic power, command, newsworthiness, and impact - a subjective measure that captures how important they are in their respective spheres (see our full methodology here).

Here are the 15 most powerful people in Asia.

Editing by Alex Morrell; additional research by Andy Kiersz.