Forbes most powerful women list: Taylor Swift makes history

published 27 May 2015

Taylor Swift has made history by becoming the youngest person ever to be included on the Forbes 100 most powerful women list.

The 25-year old pop star comes in at number 65 and is among 17 women under the age 45 to make it onto the rankings. "The current era of female empowerment is stronger and better than ever, and the growing number of younger influences on the list is enough proof that age is nothing but a number," says Forbes.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list for the fifth consecutive year, but the magazine is confident that Hillary Clinton is hot on her heels. The presidential hopeful has appeared on the list every year since it launched more than a decade ago and is "just a breath and a ballot away from the Most Powerful Woman crown". Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff also made it into the top ten as the first female leader of her country.

At a time when the number of women-owned businesses in the US increased by 68 per cent in the last eight years, "there's never been a better moment to champion these women who've helped pave the way," says Forbes. Elizabeth Holmes, the 31-year old founder of the blood testing company Theranos, made her debut on this year's list as the world's youngest self-made billionaire. In total, seven Silicon Valley executives made it into the top 25, reports The Guardian.

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