Every April, TIME publishes a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, drawing on a year’s worth of headlines and the editorial judgment of editors from across the magazine. It’s an unapologetically subjective undertaking; there are no batting averages or on-base percentages when it comes to a slippery subject like influence.
I don’t have much to do with this list, but from the sidelines I got to wondering whether there was a quantitative way to produce something similar. Wikipedia was a logical place to start since it has both unprecedented breadth–there are over 600,000 living people on the site–and a remarkably consistent structure for each entry.
Based upon my research, here are the 100 most obsessed-over people on the web.
George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States
Barack Obama
American politician, 44th President of the United States
Madonna
American singer, actress, author
Beyoncé
American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
Janet Jackson
American singer-songwriter and actress
Silvio Berlusconi
Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor
Bob Dylan
American rock and folk musician
Pope Benedict XVI
265th pope
Mitt Romney
American politician
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, U.S. First Lady
Christina Aguilera
American singer and songwriter
Mariah Carey
American singer
Eminem
Hip Hop rapper
Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States
Britney Spears
American musician, singer, songwriter, actress, author
Hulk Hogan
American professional wrestler
Roger Federer
Swiss tennis professional
Paul McCartney
English rock musician
Jimmy Carter
President of the United States
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese footballer
David Beckham
Professional footballer
George H. W. Bush
41st president of the United States.
Big Show
Professional wrestler; actor
John McCain
U.S. Senator from Arizona; 2008 Republican Presidential nominee
Shaquille O’Neal
Professional basketball player
Vladimir Putin
2nd President of the Russian Federation
Fidel Castro
President of Cuba
John Kerry
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 2004 presidential nominee for the Democratic Party
Cher
singer, actress, songwriter, author, entertainer
Rafael Nadal
Spanish tennis player
Michael Jordan
Professional National Basketball Association player and businessman
Jeff Gordon
American stock car racing driver
John Cena
Professional wrestler, an amateur hip hop musician and actor
The Undertaker
Professional wrestler
Lady Gaga
American pop singer
Noam Chomsky
linguist, psychologist, and activist
Kane (wrestler)
Professional wrestler and actor
Edward Snowden
System administrator
Tony Blair
Politician; Former Prime minister of the United Kingdom
Steven Spielberg
American film director and producer
Lionel Messi
Argentine footballer
Serena Williams
American multi-champion tennis player
Kobe Bryant
Professional basketball player
Sarah Palin
Governor of Alaska
Clint Eastwood
Actor, director, film producer, composer, politician
Kurt Angle
An American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist
Carrie Underwood
American country music singer; ”American Idol” winner
Jean Chrétien
20th Prime Minister of Canada (1993 – 2003)
Dwayne Johnson
Professional wrestler, film actor
Taylor Swift
Singer and songwriter
LeBron James
American basketball player
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, politician
Dick Cheney
Vice President of the United States
Yulia Tymoshenko
Ukrainian politician
CM Punk
Professional wrestler
Bret Hart
Retired Professional Wrestler
David Cameron
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Marine Le Pen
French politician
Eric Clapton
guitarist, singer, and composer
Novak Djokovic
Serbian tennis player
Joe Biden
Vice President of the United States
Jennifer Lopez
Entertainer
Peyton Manning
American college football player, professional football player, quarterback, Super Bowl champion
Nicole Scherzinger
American singer, dancer
Rihanna
Singer, songwriter
Shakira
Colombian singer
Sachin Tendulkar
Indian cricketer
Ron Paul
U.S. libertarian, physician, politician, obstetrician
Pope Francis
266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church
Chris Jericho
Professional wrestler, musician, television host and author
Maria Sharapova
Russian tennis player
Edge (wrestler)
Professional wrestler
Thierry Henry
Footballer
MC Hammer
Rapper, entrepreneur, actor
Kelly Clarkson
Singer-songwriter, actress
Michael Schumacher
Racing driver, Formula 1 driver, 7 times world champion
Yoko Ono
Artist
Donald Trump
Businessman, television personality
Elton John
English musician
Rey Mysterio
Mexican American Professional wrestler
Elizabeth II
Queen regnant of the Commonwealth realms
Rob Van Dam
American film actor and professional wrestler
Magic Johnson
Retired American professional basketball player
Pink (singer)
Singer
Triple H
Professional wrestler
Kylie Minogue
pop singer, songwriter, actress
Kanye West
American recording artist, record producer
Andy Murray
Tennis player
Celine Dion
Canadian singer and actor
50 Cent
Rapper, entrepreneur, investor, and actor
Derek Jeter
American professional baseball player, shortstop
Paris Hilton
American celebrity
Ric Flair
Professional wrestler
Oprah Winfrey
Talk show host
Michele Bachmann
American politician
Diego Maradona
Argentine footballer and manager
Nawaz Sharif
Pakistani politician
Shahrukh Khan
Film actor
Lance Armstrong
American professional road racing cyclist
George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States
Barack Obama
American politician, 44th President of the United States
Madonna
American singer, actress, author
Beyoncé
American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
Janet Jackson
American singer-songwriter and actress
Silvio Berlusconi
Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor
Bob Dylan
American rock and folk musician
Pope Benedict XVI
265th pope
Mitt Romney
American politician
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, U.S. First Lady
Christina Aguilera
American singer and songwriter
Mariah Carey
American singer
Eminem
Hip Hop rapper
Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States
Britney Spears
American musician, singer, songwriter, actress, author
Hulk Hogan
American professional wrestler
Roger Federer
Swiss tennis professional
Paul McCartney
English rock musician
Jimmy Carter
President of the United States
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese footballer
David Beckham
Professional footballer
George H. W. Bush
41st president of the United States.
Big Show
Professional wrestler; actor
John McCain
U.S. Senator from Arizona; 2008 Republican Presidential nominee
Shaquille O’Neal
Professional basketball player
Vladimir Putin
2nd President of the Russian Federation
Fidel Castro
President of Cuba
John Kerry
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 2004 presidential nominee for the Democratic Party
Cher
singer, actress, songwriter, author, entertainer
Rafael Nadal
Spanish tennis player
Michael Jordan
Professional National Basketball Association player and businessman
Jeff Gordon
American stock car racing driver
John Cena
Professional wrestler, an amateur hip hop musician and actor
The Undertaker
Professional wrestler
Lady Gaga
American pop singer
Noam Chomsky
linguist, psychologist, and activist
Kane (wrestler)
Professional wrestler and actor
Edward Snowden
System administrator
Tony Blair
Politician; Former Prime minister of the United Kingdom
Steven Spielberg
American film director and producer
Lionel Messi
Argentine footballer
Serena Williams
American multi-champion tennis player
Kobe Bryant
Professional basketball player
Sarah Palin
Governor of Alaska
Clint Eastwood
Actor, director, film producer, composer, politician
Kurt Angle
An American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist
Carrie Underwood
American country music singer; ”American Idol” winner
Jean Chrétien
20th Prime Minister of Canada (1993 – 2003)
Dwayne Johnson
Professional wrestler, film actor
Taylor Swift
Singer and songwriter
LeBron James
American basketball player
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, politician
Dick Cheney
Vice President of the United States
Yulia Tymoshenko
Ukrainian politician
CM Punk
Professional wrestler
Bret Hart
Retired Professional Wrestler
David Cameron
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Marine Le Pen
French politician
Eric Clapton
guitarist, singer, and composer
Novak Djokovic
Serbian tennis player
Joe Biden
Vice President of the United States
Jennifer Lopez
Entertainer
Peyton Manning
American college football player, professional football player, quarterback, Super Bowl champion
Nicole Scherzinger
American singer, dancer
Rihanna
Singer, songwriter
Shakira
Colombian singer
Sachin Tendulkar
Indian cricketer
Ron Paul
U.S. libertarian, physician, politician, obstetrician
Pope Francis
266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church
Chris Jericho
Professional wrestler, musician, television host and author
Maria Sharapova
Russian tennis player
Edge (wrestler)
Professional wrestler
Thierry Henry
Footballer
MC Hammer
Rapper, entrepreneur, actor
Kelly Clarkson
Singer-songwriter, actress
Michael Schumacher
Racing driver, Formula 1 driver, 7 times world champion
Yoko Ono
Artist
Donald Trump
Businessman, television personality
Elton John
English musician
Rey Mysterio
Mexican American Professional wrestler
Elizabeth II
Queen regnant of the Commonwealth realms
Rob Van Dam
American film actor and professional wrestler
Magic Johnson
Retired American professional basketball player
Pink (singer)
Singer
Triple H
Professional wrestler
Kylie Minogue
pop singer, songwriter, actress
Kanye West
American recording artist, record producer
Andy Murray
Tennis player
Celine Dion
Canadian singer and actor
50 Cent
Rapper, entrepreneur, investor, and actor
Derek Jeter
American professional baseball player, shortstop
Paris Hilton
American celebrity
Ric Flair
Professional wrestler
Oprah Winfrey
Talk show host
Michele Bachmann
American politician
Diego Maradona
Argentine footballer and manager
Nawaz Sharif
Pakistani politician
Shahrukh Khan
Film actor
Lance Armstrong
American professional road racing cyclist
Methodology
To begin with, I collected some data on each of these pages: The number of words, the number of times it has been edited, and a handful of other measurements. A very simple algorithm combines these factors into a single estimate of the page’s “prominence,” an imperfect term for how important a person is on the site.
I gathered eight statistics for each living person’s Wikipedia page:
Once this data was in place, I used a statistical method known as “principal component analysis” to reduce these values into a smaller set of scores. The full methodology, as well as the raw data for the top 100,000-or-so pages, is available on the GitHub page for this project. The code for crawling Wikipedia is also provided open-source in a separate GitHub repository.
One of the most curious findings is that professional wrestlers have amazingly detailed Wikipedia pages that often surpass heads of state in their breadth and detail. There are 15 current or former wrestlers in the top 100 people on this list.
Many thanks to Chris Franck, an assistant research professor in statistics at Virginia Tech, for his consultation during this analysis.
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Write to Chris Wilson at chris.wilson@time.com