Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has earned a place on the 2025 Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, ranking at number ninety-nine among global political, business, philanthropic, and cultural leaders.
Forbes cites Mottley’s sustained international influence, particularly her assertive voice on climate change, her diplomatic reach, and her pivotal role in guiding Barbados through its constitutional transformation.
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According to her Forbes profile, Mottley was elected prime minister in 2018 and became the first woman to hold the office. The feature highlights her rise as a global climate advocate, referencing her widely praised 2021 address to the United Nations General Assembly, where she delivered what Forbes described as an “impassioned speech” calling for urgent climate action.
That same year, the United Nations Environment Program honored her as a Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership. Forbes also points to her leadership during Barbados’ historic 2021 transition to a parliamentary republic, which formally removed the Queen of England as head of state.
Mottley’s selection places her among a distinguished cohort of women whose work shapes governments, economies, foreign relations, technology, and global philanthropy. The 2025 list is led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at number one, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde at number two, and Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, at number three.
Now in its twenty second year, Forbes’ ranking measures influence through four criteria: economic resources, media presence, measurable global impact, and the breadth of each woman’s reach. The 2025 list includes one hundred women from seventeen countries who collectively wield an estimated thirty seven trillion dollars in economic power and influence more than one billion people worldwide.
Forbes also emphasizes that Mottley’s leadership journey began decades before her premiership. Her first ministerial appointment came in 1994 as Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, marking the start of a political career that would eventually elevate her to regional and international prominence.
Her recurring presence on major global lists underscores her status as one of the Caribbean’s most recognized and influential policymakers, widely noted for her bold positions on climate justice, economic reform, and global equity.
