Jolie beats Malala in world’s ‘Most Admirable’ title

Hollywood sweetheart Angelina Jolie beat the likes of Malala Yousafzai and Europe’s lavish royals in a poll that crowned her the world’s most admired woman.

In a survey conducted by YouGov, in which 25,000 people from 23 countries participated, Jolie beat the Queen of England, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and Sonia Gandhi.

Jolie’s name was the most common answer in the survey which asked people to name a man or a woman they most admired. The U.N. special envoy for refugees and Hollywood powerhouse came on top, along with Bill Gates who secured the title of “most admired man.”

The poll was conducted by asking almost 30,000 people to name the man or woman they most admired, then compiling a list of the most common answers in each country for a subsequent vote.

People were allowed to choose one favourite and select any others they also respected. The final rankings combined these two factors.

In addition to blockbuster-films such as Tomb Raider and Maleficent, Jolie is known for her work with refugees and frequent involvement with the United Nations.

The UK’s Emma Watson, also an actress involved with the United Nations, made her first appearance on the list, coming in at 11th place in Britain. YouGov broke down the survey also by country, listing the most admired people each nation voted for. Watson and Malala both came in first in Malaysia.

Brad Pitt, Jolie’s husband, came in at number 13.

While Gates secured the number one spot globally, the UK chose iconic theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking to be the most admirable man.