Saudi king world’s third most powerful: Forbes

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was ranked third in the list of the World’s Most Powerful People released Thursday by the leading American business magazine Forbes.

After occupying the ninth place in 2009, King Abdullah moved six places forward to become the third most powerful after Chinese President Hu Jintao and American President Barrack Obama.

Hu Jinatao was described by Forbes as the “paramount political leader of more people than anyone else on the planet” and President Obama was described as the “commander-in-chief of world’s largest, deadliest military, leader of world's largest (in spending) and most dynamic economy and holds the unofficial title of ‘Leader of the Free World.’”

Saudi King Abdullah was ranked third for being the head of the nation that “contains the world’s largest crude oil reserves and two holiest sites in Islam.”