Meet the 9 Women Who Have the Most Money, Influence, and Power in the World Right Now

Meet the 9 Women Who Have the Most Money, Influence, and Power in the World Right Now Angela Merkel is still the most powerful woman in the world. The German Chancellor has held the top spot on the Forbes Most Powerful Women List for seven consecutive years, and 12 years in total. Another prominent political leader, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, ranked second. It is her first time appearing on Forbes’ annual list. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is the highest-ranking American woman, taking the third spot. Six of the top nine most powerful women in the world are American, according to the Forbes list. Forbes determines its ranking by evaluating four categories: money â€" which covers net worth, company revenues, assets under management, or GDP â€" media presence, influence, and impact. Of the 100 women on the list, nearly half are from the United States. Ivanka Trump, senior adviser to and daughter of President Donald Trump, made the list for the first time, debuting at 19. Democratic candidate in the 2016 US presidential election, Hilary Clinton, dropped 63 spots, from second to 65. Scroll through to see the nine most powerful women in the world right now. 9. Ana Patricia Botín: Chair, Santander Group, Banco Santander, Spain CURTO DE LA TORREâ€"AFP/Getty Images 8. Christine Lagarde: Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, US Handoutâ€"Getty Images 7. Abigail Johnson: CEO, Fidelity Investments, US Bloombergâ€"Bloomberg via Getty Images 6. Susan Wojcicki: CEO, YouTube, US Justin Sullivanâ€"Getty Images 5. Mary Barra: CEO, General Motors, US Bill Puglianoâ€"Getty Images 4. Sheryl Sandberg: COO, Facebook, US Marla Aufmuthâ€"Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for T 3. Melinda Gates: Co-Chair, Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, US Jamie McCarthyâ€"Getty Images for Bill Melinda Gates Foundation 2. Theresa May: Prime Minister, UK Philip Toscano - PA Imagesâ€"PA Images via Getty Images 1. Angela Merkel: Chancellor, Germany Michael Gottschalkâ€"Photothek via Getty Images This article originally appeared in Business Insider.