Most Admired Woman in the World: Angelina Jolie Beats Malala Yousafzai, British Queen and Others

Hollywood sweetheart Angelina Jolie has been voted the 'Most Admired Woman in the World'.

A poll conducted by YouGov found she is more popular than Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousufzai, German chancellor Angela Merkel, president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi, First lady of the United States Michelle Obama and the Queen of England.

According to the poll conducted by YouGov, Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie are the most admired man and woman, respectively.

As many as 25,000 people from 23 countries participated in the poll.

The poll asked the participants to name the man and woman they most admired, and compiled a list of the most common answers. The participants were allowed to choose one favourite and select others who they also respected. The final rankings combined the two factors.

Here is the list of the top 10 most admired women in the world according to the poll:

1. Angelina Jolie

The Academy Award winning actress, also cited among Hollywood's highest-paid thespians, is best known for her her humanitarian efforts. She promotes various causes, including conservation, education and the campaign to end sexual violence in conflict zones, but is most known for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. One of the most influential people in the world, Jolie has also adopted three children internationally.

2. Malala Yousafzai

The 17-year-old Pakistani education rights activist is the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She was almost fatally shot at by the Taliban for her attempts to resist their rule in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan.

3. Hilary Clinton

Former US Secretary of State and Senator, Clinton is the only First Lady ever to have run for public office. Her advocacy on the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act gave the topics public recognition.

4. Queen Elizabeth II

Queen of 16 of the 53 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth is widely admired across the world. Along with being the world's oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain's longest-living and second longest-reigning head of state, she is also the patron of over 600 organisations and charities.

5. Michelle Obama

The reigning First Lady of the United States is also a reputed lawyer and writer, and has played an important role in her husband President Barack Obama's campaigns. Her most famous initiative is "Let's Move!", which promotes healthy eating and addresses the issue of childhood obesity.

6. Celine Dion

Canadian singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and occasional actress, Celine Dion is a recipient of five Grammy Awards, who took a hiatus from her career in 1999 at the height of her success, to look after her cancer-ridden husband.

7. Oprah Winfrey

Winfrey is best known for her multi-award-winning talk show 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', which was the highest-rated program of its kind in history. The "Queen of All Media" has been ranked as ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history and is currently North America's only black billionaire.

8. Julia Roberts

Hollywood star Julia Roberts is associated with UNICEF and other charitable organisations. In 2000, Roberts narrated "Silent Angels", a documentary made to create awareness about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder. She is also the spokeswoman for Earth Biofuels and also supports Gucci's "Chime For Change" campaign that spreads the message of female empowerment.

9. Aung San Suu Kyi

Suu Kyi, Myanmar's opposition politician who was kept under house arrest for almost 15 years since 1989, is one of the most prominent political prisoners of the world. She is the recipient of the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for 'Freedom of Thought' in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She is also the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding given by India.

10. Angela Merkel

German Chancellor and former research scientist Angela Merkel has been described as the de facto leader of the European Union. In 2013, Forbes magazine ranked her as the world's second most powerful person – the highest ranking ever achieved by a woman – and as the the most powerful woman in the world in 2014.