The list is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and followed by Putin, and Pope Francis.

Although "shunned by world leaders and put under sanctions for Russia's role in the 2014 standoff in Ukraine," said the agency, "Putin was still able to impose himself on this year's most pressing problems, returning to the diplomatic centre stage over the Syrian conflict."

The top ten list also includes "Parisians," Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Aung San Suu Kyi, Donald Trump, "Alexis Tsipras and Yanis Varoufakis," and FIFA's Sepp Blatter.

U.S. President Barack Obama did not make it to AFP's list of the year's most influential figures, but the country's secretary of state, John Kerry, shares the number ten spot with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.