Market research and analytics firm Gallup has been asking people who they admire the most since 1948. At the end of almost every year, Gallup has conducted opinion polls across the United States to compile a list of the most admired men and women in the world. Let’s take a look at the most admired men and women at the end of 2018, according to Gallup.
For its 2018 ranking, Gallup asked more than a thousand US adults what man or woman, living today in any part of the world, they admired the most. More than 80% of the times, the most admired man was the sitting President of the United States. The most admired woman is often the sitting or former First Lady of the United States.
Top 10 most admired men
Former President Barack Obama was once again named the most admired man in the world, according to Gallup. Obama has won that title for the 11th consecutive year. He is still behind Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was named the most admired man 12 times.
Obama was followed by the current US President Donald Trump. It was only 13th time out of 72 polls when an incumbent president didn’t win. Obama was the most admired among independents and Democrats, while Trump was admired by Republicans.
Others making it to the top ten were Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Pope Francis, and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.
These are the top 10 most admired men:
- Barack Obama (19%)
- Donald Trump (13%)
- George W. Bush (2%)
- Pope Francis (2%)
- Bill Gates (1%)
- Bernie Sanders (1%)
- Bill Clinton (1%)
- The Dalai Lama (1%)
- Joe Biden (1%)
- Elon Musk (1%)
Top 10 most admired women
When Gallup asked Americans what woman, living today in any part of the world, they admired the most, the response was different from what it has been for more than a decade. For 17 consecutive years, Hillary Clinton held the crown of the world’s most admired woman.
Hillary Clinton was named the most admired woman 22 times, higher than any other woman. She is far ahead of Eleanor Roosevelt, who won the title 13 times. In 2018, the survey participants named former First Lady Michelle Obama the most admired woman. Hillary Clinton slipped to third place this time, lagging behind Oprah Winfrey.
Michelle Obama’s recently published memoir Becoming has become a best-seller. It was the first time Obama has dethroned Clinton. She finished second to Hillary three times in the past. Oprah Winfrey occupied the second place while current First Lady Melania Trump was ranked 4th.
These are the women most admired by Americans, according to Gallup:
- Michelle Obama (15%)
- Oprah Winfrey (5%)
- Hillary Clinton (4%)
- Melania Trump (4%)
- Queen Elizabeth (2%)
- Angela Merkel (2%)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2%)
- Ellen DeGeneres (2%)
- Nikki Haley (1%)
- Malala Yousafzai (1%)
It’s quite surprising to see that the admiration for Michelle and Barack Obama remains intact. Barack Obama is the world’s most followed politician on social media, according to data from market analytics firm SEMRush. He reaches more than 182 million people around the world across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Only time will tell whether current President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will reach the top spot in the coming years.
