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New York - German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a fifth year tops the Forbes list of the world's most powerful women, but for the first time Hillary Clinton is snapping at her heels, the magazine said on Tuesday.
Behind them came Melinda Gates, who co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with her billionaire philanthropist husband, US federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
IMF chief Christine Lagarde was in sixth place and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff came in seventh.
The top 10 was rounded out by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (No 8), Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube (No 9) and US First Lady Michelle Obama.
The annual list of the world's 100 most powerful women includes leaders in eight categories - technology, politics, business, finance, media, entertainment, philanthropy and billionaires.
Clinton, the former first lady and one-time US secretary of state, who in April announced her second run for the White House, was listed at number six last year.
"In 2015 Clinton is number two, just a breath and a ballot away from the Most Powerful Woman crown," Forbes said.
The magazine has put the German chancellor on the list 10 times in the past 12 years.
Newcomers to the list include US pop star Taylor Swift, in at number 54 and the youngest at 25; EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, number 36; US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, number 34; and incoming Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner at number 80.
Fifty-nine percent of those on the list are American, including several immigrants. There are 18 from the Asia-Pacific region, 12 from Europe, four each from Latin America and the Middle East and three Africans, Forbes said.
The magazine said the list features eight heads of state and one monarch, who govern nations with a combined GDP of $9.1 trillion and 15 billionaires with a total net worth of more than $73.3bn.
The top ranking billionaire this year is Oprah Winfrey at number 12 with a personal net worth of $3bn.
In another measure of influence, the 100 women on the 2014 list have a combined social media footprint that includes 474 million Twitter and YouTube followers, the magazine said.
The list can be viewed at www.forbes.com/power-women
