We take a closer look at the individuals who are making history at the start of a new decade.
Every year, we read about people who made headlines for their remarkable contributions and influence across the world. TIME Magazine honors 100 of these individuals and small groups who made a mark on the industry they are part of. From politics, entertainment, sports, media, fashion to human rights, these people carry a significant impact on thousands. No matter the nature of the change they brought, they undeniably influence the views and actions of the world and shape the future.
Scroll below to see the complete list of TIME’s 100 Most Influential.
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Pioneers
Megan Thee Stallion
American rapper, singer, and songwriter
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association
Ibram X. Kendi
American author, historian, and scholar of race and discriminatory policy in America
Nathan Law
Hong Kong activist
Tomi Adeyemi
Nigerian-American novelist and creative writing coach, Children of Blood and Bone (2018)
Christina Koch and Jessica Meir
U.S. astronauts who completed the first all-female spacewalk in 2019
Julie K. Brown
American investigative journalist who pursued the sex trafficking story of Jeffrey Epstein
Cecilia Martinez
Research professor at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware
Maya Moore
American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association
Chase Strangio
American lawyer and transgender rights activist
Zhang Yongzhen
Chinese scientist who sequenced the first COVID-19 genome
Tourmaline
Filmmaker, activist, and writer, Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2018)
Waad Al-Kateab
Syrian journalist, filmmaker, and activist, For Sama (2019)
Abubacarr Tambadou
Gambian lawyer and politician
Gabriela Camara
Mexican chef and restaurant owner of Contramar
Camilla Rothe
Munich-based infectious-disease specialist and her team who first documented an asymptomatic infection of COVID-19
Rebecca Gomperts
Amsterdam-based doctor and founder of Women on Waves and Women on Web
Ravindra Gupta
Professor of clinical microbiology at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease
Lauren Gardner
American engineer who created the dashboard to share COVID-19 information at John Hopkins University
Shi Zhengli
Chinese virologist
Shiori Ito
Japanese journalist and filmmaker
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Artists
The Weeknd
Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer
Ali Wong
Vietnamese-Chinese-American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer, Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Michael B. Jordan
American actor and producer, Black Panther (2018)
Selena Gomez
American singer, songwriter, actress, and producer
J Balvin
Colombian reggaeton singer
Jojo Siwa
American dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality
Halsey
American singer, songwriter, and activist
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
English actress, writer, and producer, Fleabag (2016-2019)
Jennifer Hudson
American singer, actress, and philanthropist
Yo-Yo Ma
American cellist
Dapper Dan
American fashion designer and haberdashery
Anais Mitchell
American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright, Hadestown (2017)
Michaela Coel
English actress, screenwriter, director, producer, and singer, Chewing Gum (2015-2017)
Bong Joon Ho
South Korean filmmaker, Parasite (2019)
Lastesis
Chilean feminist performance collective protesting violence against women
Julie Mehretu
American contemporary visual artist
Ayushmann Khurrana
Indian actor, singer, and television host
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Leaders
Anthony Fauci
American physician and immunologist
Kamala Harris
American politician and attorney
Tsai Ing-Wen
Taiwanese politician and academic who serves as seventh President of the Republic of China
John Roberts
American lawyer and jurist who serves as Chief Justice of the United States.
Xi Jinping
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
Donald Trump
45th and president of the United States in 2020
Caesar
Pseudonym of a former Syrian government forensic photographer
Angela Merkel
German politician who is the Chancellor of Germany
Joe Biden
American politician and former Vice President of the United States
Jair Bolsonaro
President of Brazil
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Narendra Modi
14th and current Prime Minister of India
William Barr
United States Attorney General
Annie Hidalgo
French–Spanish politician who is the mayor of Paris
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director general of the World Health Organization
Mary Kay Henry
American labor union activist, the first woman to lead the Service Employees International Union
Nemonte Nenquimo
President of the Waorani of Pastaza and a co-founder of the Ceibo Alliance who filed a lawsuit for the Amazon rainforest fire in 2019
Ursula Von Der Leyen
President of the European Commission
Jung Eun-Kyeong
South Korean infectious disease and public health expert
Bonnie Castillo
Nurse and executive director of National Nurses United and of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee
Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum
Congolese microbiologist
Yousef Al Otaiba
United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States and Minister of state
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Titans
Gabrielle Union
American actress, voice artist, activist, and author Bring It On (2000)
Dwyane Wade
American former professional basketball player for Miami Heat
Sundar Pichai
Indian-American business executive and CEO of Alphabet Inc.
Tyler Perry
American actor, writer, producer, and director who created the Madea character
Mackenzie Scott
American novelist, billionaire, and venture philanthropist
Robert F. Smith
American businessman and CEO of investment firm Vista Equity Partners
Lewis Hamilton
British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Jerome Powell
Chair of the Federal Reserve
Patrick Mahomes
American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
CEO of the national hunger-relief agency Feeding America
Greg Berlanti
American writer, producer, and film director, Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003)
Shari Redstone
American media executive
Eric Yuan
Chinese-American billionaire businessman and CEO of Zoom Video Communications
Tony Elumelu
African economist who is the chairman of Heir Holdings and the United Bank of Africa
Zhong Nanshan
Chinese pulmonologist and recipient of Order of the Republic, the highest order of honor in China
Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Lisa Nishimura
Vice President, Original Documentary and Independent Features at Netflix
General Charles Q. Brown Jr.
The United States Air Force four-star general
Daniel Zhang
CEO of Alibaba Group
Gwynne Shotwell
American businesswoman and President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX
Tunji Funsho
Chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee
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Icons
Amy O’Sullivan
Brooklyn-based ER nurse
Ady Barkan
American lawyer and liberal activist
Billy Porter
American actor and singer
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi
The women behind the Black Lives Matter movement
Naomi Osaka
Japanese professional tennis player
Angela Davis
American political activist, philosopher, academic, and author
Chi Chia-Wei
Taiwanese gay civil rights activist
Megan Rapinoe
American professional soccer player
Felipe Neto
Portuguese-Brazilian manager, vlogger, actor, comedy actor, and writer
Allyson Felix
Olympic champion American track and field sprinter
Sister Norma Pimentel
Mexican-American nun of the Missionaries of Jesus
David Hill
Award-winning New Zealand author, See Ya, Simon (1992)
Arussi Unda
Mexican feminist
Nurkey Turkel
Uyghur American attorney, public official, and human rights advocate
Lina Attalah
Egyptian media figure and journalist
Bilkis
An 82-year-old woman who is the face of an all-female led-protest against a controversial citizenship law
