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Michelle Obama named 2019's most admired woman in the world in new poll

2:24
Michelle Obama through the years
Paras Griffin/Getty Images, FILE
ByAlexandra Svokos
July 19, 2019, 4:33 PM

Angelina Jolie may be a better actress and director, but Michelle Obama's got her beat in one category -- this year, at least.

The former first lady beat out Jolie as the world's most admired woman in an annual study conducted by online research firm YouGov.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama appears at an event, May 11, 2019 in Atlanta, Ga.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images, FILE

Obama topped the list this year, while Jolie -- who was first last year -- came in third.

Oprah Winfrey was second.

Also included in the top 10 of most admired women are Queen Elizabeth II, actress Emma Watson, activist Malala Yousafzai and chemist Tu Youyou.

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(MORE: Michelle Obama on what she wants others to know about her marriage: 'We work on' it)

First ladies had a good showing on the list: alongside Obama, Hillary Clinton came in eighth, Melania Trump is 19th and Peng Liyuan, a singer and the wife of Chinese President Xi JinPing, is seventh.

World leaders, too, were featured on the list, including Queen Elizabeth II, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May.

On the men's side of things, Microsoft founder Bill Gates came out on top, with Obama's husband, Barack, in second. President Donald Trump is 14th on the men's list, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is 10th.

The men's list also features soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at seventh and ninth, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, considering their high placement on the global scale, the Obamas top both the male and female list of most admired people in America alone.

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(MORE: Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' could be 'most successful memoir in history': Publisher)

Michelle Obama through the years

A look at the former first lady's life and times.
1 of 58
Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Alicia Keys, Michelle Obama and Jennifer Lopez speak onstage during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center, Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. <br><br> Michelle Obama speaks to the audience during a surprise appearance at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

On the men's side, Trump comes second, and on the women's side, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is his parallel. Melania Trump takes third, and Clinton came in eighth.

Just two presidential candidates are featured on either list of America's most admired: former Vice President Joe Biden in sixth and Sen. Bernie Sanders in seventh.

It's been a remarkable 12 months for Obama, whose memoir "Becoming," released last fall, "could be the most successful memoir in history" after selling about 10 million copies, per its publisher, Penguin Random House.

Related Topics

  • Michelle Obama

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