Alive as of 15 September 2026
The LivingHundred
One hundred people alive today whose work is shaping how we live, heal, build, play and think.
This is not a ranking. Every name was weighed against the same four tests, set out here, and the balance of the final list is shown below as you filter it.
How the hundred were chosen
- Lasting impact
- Work that has changed a field, a nation or daily life, and is still shaping it.
- A verifiable record
- Achievements confirmed by major prizes, records, publications or institutions, not fame alone.
- Breadth
- Eleven spheres of nine or ten names each, drawn from every inhabited continent.
- Living, and outside office
- Alive as of 15 September 2026. No one currently holding elected or government office.
Exploring the list. Choose a sphere or a region, search by name, country or achievement, and sort by defining year, year of birth or name. Switch to the timeline to see when each defining moment came, open any entry for its full record, and add up to ten people to your own list.