PM Imran Khan, Malala Yousafzai named among World’s Most Admired People of 2021
PM Imran Khan is ranked 17th on the list following the international survey conducted by YouGov
Prime Minister Imran Khan and youngest Nobel prize laureate Malala Yousafzai have been named in the list of world’s most admired persons of 2021.
PM Imran Khan is ranked 17th on the list following the international survey conducted by YouGov included more than 42,000 people from 38 countries of the world.
Pakistani human rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra have risen farthest in the ranks this year, climbing five places to 9th and 10th respectively. In Chopra’s case, this represents her best performance in the series so far.
The top position of the world’s most admired men is retained by Barack Obama, having wrested the position from long-time incumbent Bill Gates last year.
According to a YouGov survey, Michelle Obama likewise holds on to her position as the world’s most admired woman for the third year running.
In fact, the top three spots for each sex are unchanged since last year, with business tycoon and philanthropist Bill Gates remaining second among men, followed by Chinese premier Xi Jinping. Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie continue to be the world’s second-most admired woman, ahead of third-placed British monarch Queen Elizabeth II.
Among the men, Argentine footballer Lionel Messi has seen the greatest increase since last time, climbing four places from 11th to 7th – his highest rank to date. Despite this record placement, as well as his recent Ballon D’or win, Messi still lags behind Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo in 4th place (also Ronaldo’s best showing to date).
Entertainers are more prominent in the female list, with 10 of the most admired women being actors, singers or TV presenters (although some, like Emma Watson and Angelina Jolie, are also notable for their humanitarian work). By contrast, the list of most admired men contains more people from political, business and sporting backgrounds.
New additions to the top twenties this year include US president Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Thai rapper Lisa (of Blackpink fame), and New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
This year’s rankings also see the re-entry into the top twenties of investor Warren Buffett, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Chinese actresses Liu Yifei and Yang Mi.
The results are calculated from the combination of responses to two questions – whether a respondent admires the figure at all and then whether they are the figure the respondent admires the most. Each nation’s results in the global compilation are also weighted to represent the country’s population size.
