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Barack And Michelle Obama Have Been Voted The Most Admired Man And Woman

Barack And Michelle Obama Have Been Voted The Most Admired Man And Woman

The former US President has knocked Bill Gates off the top spot for the first time since 2014.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Barack and Michelle Obama have been voted the most admired man and woman on the planet.

Data collection site YouGov has been running the coveted poll every year since 2014 and it's produced some interesting results for 2020.

The former US President has landed on the top of the list for the first time since polling began and has knocked off Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates into second place.

Obama was the top pick for 22 countries out of 42.

PA

Picking up bronze was China's president Xi Jinping, India's leader Narendra Modi came in fourth and legendary actor Jackie Chan was fifth. Other worthy mentions go to Keanu Reeves (10th), Cristiano Ronaldo (eighth), Michael Jordan (13th), and Donald Trump (15th).

YouGov has a sneaking suspicion Gates' small tumble from number one to second is due to what has happened this year.

"Gates has only slipped one rank, with his fall potentially coming as a result of rumours that he is in some way involved in the spread of COVID-19," the website said.

Elon Musk had the greatest jump on the 2020 list after rising four places to ninth.

In the women's category, the former First Lady retained her spot as the number one most admired female on the planet.

PA

Oprah Winery dropped two spots from last year's second place, allowing Angelina Jolie to assume second place, followed by Queen Elizabeth II in third.

Five other entertainers made their way into the top ten, including Jennifer Lopez (fifth), Emma Watson (sixth), Scarlett Johansson (seventh), Taylor Swift (ninth) and Shakira (10th).

YouGov said on its website: "Entertainers dominate the female list, with 12 of the most admired women being actresses, 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."

The 2020 list was the largest ever survey, with more than 45,000 people from 42 countries and territories taking part.

Respondents were asked two questions: whether they admire a figure at all and then whether it's the person they admire the most. The results for each country were then weighed up based on population size to produce the global figures.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama