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Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton contributes the write-up for Yunus in the magazine
Published : 16 Apr 2025, 11:32 PM
The name of Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, has appeared on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2025.
The US-based magazine published the list on Wednesday, placing Yunus sixth in its “Leaders” category.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton contributed the write-up for Yunus in the magazine, portraying the chief advisor as the force that stepped up to steer Bangladesh towards democracy following the collapse of Bangladesh’s authoritarian leadership in 2024.
Hillary said, “Decades earlier, Yunus established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh to empower the most marginalised communities through small loans, helping millions—97 percent of them women—build businesses, sustain their families, and reclaim their dignity.”
She also recalled her first meeting with Yunus in Arkansas during her husband Bill Clinton’s tenure as governor.
“I first met Yunus when he travelled to Arkansas to help then governor Bill Clinton and me set up similar programmes in the US,” she said.
“Since then, wherever I’ve travelled in the world, I have witnessed the extraordinary impact of his work—lives transformed, communities lifted, and hope reborn.”
Hillary added, “Yunus has answered his country’s call once more. As he shepherds Bangladesh out of the shadows of oppression, he is restoring human rights, demanding accountability, and laying the foundations for a just and free society.”
Yunus assumed leadership of the interim government of Bangladesh in the aftermath of widespread protests in July and August 2024 that led to the resignation of former premier Sheikh Hasina.
Since taking office, the interim government has rolled out a series of reforms.
Alongside Yunus, other names in the “Leaders” category include US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Argentine President Javier Milei, Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Time’s broader list also includes figures such as British singer Ed Sheeran, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and tennis star Serena Williams, featured in other categories.
Yunus was previously named one of the ten most influential people of 2024 by the UK-based journal Nature, which referred to him as a “nation builder”.
In 2018, Time magazine also recognised Hasina—then prime minister—as one of its 100 most influential people, citing her efforts to shelter hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
