To make the list, Forbes looked at how many people a person had influence over. For heads of state, they looked at the population. For religious leaders, the size of their flock, and so on. Next, they looked at financial worth in relation to their peers. For instance, net worth for billionaires, and GDP for political figures.
Thirdly, they looked at global reach. To be on Forbes Most Powerful list, you have to be able to influence people around the globe. And lastly, they looked at use of power. What good is it being a billionaire if all your money sits in a savings account?
Based on that criteria, Forbes picked 68 people to put on their Most Powerful People on Earth list. Here are the top ten most powerful people.
1. Hu Jintao
Age: 67
Title: President
Organization: People's Republic of ChinaHu Jintao is the political leader of 3.2 billion people, more than anyone else on the planet. He also has dictatorial control, and can do what he wants without worrying about the bickering of a split party system. China also recently surpassed Japan to become the second largest economy.
2. Barack Obama
Age: 49
Title: President
Organization: United States of AmericaPresident Obama was last year's most powerful man, but with a devastating midterm election, Obama could find it hard to enforce his policies in the next two years.
3. King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Age: 86
Title: King
Organization: Saudi ArabiaNot only is Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud the king and absolute ruler of land that hosts two holiest sites in Islam. He is also in control of the world's largest crude oil reserves. Forbes estimates that he rules over one-fifth of the planets oil supply.
4. Vladimir Putin
Age: 58
Title: Prime Minister
Organization: RussiaThe Prime Minister over one-ninth of the world's land.
5. Pope Benedict XVI
Age: 83
Title: Pope
Organization: Roman Catholic ChurchThe pope rules over more than 1.1 billion souls, or one-sixth of the population.
6. Angela Merkel
Age: 56
Title: Chancellor
Organization: GermanyThe most powerful woman on the planet overseas Europe's largest economy.
7. David Cameron
Age: 44
Title: Prime Minister
Organization: United KingdomDavid Cameron is the youngest Prime Minister in nearly 200 years.
8. Ben Bernake
Age: 56
Title: Chairman
Organization: Federal ReserveThe Fed's influence is at an all-time high, and the man in charge is Ben Bernake.
9. Sonia Gandhi
Age: 63
Title: President
Organization: Indian National CongressGhandi has influence over 1.2 billion people in India, and was just elected to her fourth term.
10. Bill Gates
Age: 55
Title: Co-Chair
Organization: Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationBill Gates earned his money with Microsoft, but he earned his power by giving it away. Gates encouraged 40 of the world's richest people to sign his giving pledge this year.