Mrs. Merkel was ranked the most powerful woman in the world for the second year in a row in the annual list dominated by politicians, businesswomen and media figures.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, came second, with Dilma Rousseff third, making the top three spots unchanged from last year.

Michelle Obama , who was the most powerful woman on the list two years ago, came seventh.

Here is a list of the Top 10:

1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

2. Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State

3. Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil

4. Melinda Gates, Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

5. Jill Abramson, Executive Editor, The New York Times

6. Sonia Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress Party

7. Michelle Obama, US First Lady

8. Christine Lagarde, Head of International Monetary Fund

9. Janet Napolitano, US Secretary of Homeland Security

10. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

The full list is at