Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ranked 39th on the Forbes' list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women of 2020. 

The US-based magazine announced the list on Tuesday. 

Forbes wrote, "Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh, is currently serving her fourth term. She won the fourth term, which is also her third consecutive term, after her party, Bangladesh Awami League, won 288 of the 300 parliamentary seats." 

In the current term, "Hasina plans to focus on issues such as food security and access to education and healthcare. An ongoing struggle of Hasina has been establishing a firm democracy in Bangladesh," it added. 

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes the No. 1 spot for the 10th consecutive year, which is also marking her 15th total appearance on the list. European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde maintains her position at No. 2 on this year’s ranking. New to the top three is the US Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris, who will serve as the first female Vice President of the United States and is the first Black and Indian American to hold the position. 

Forbes said that amid the global pandemic, the world leaders on this year’s list have transformed society and continue to reshape their respective industries. UPS CEO Carol Tomé (No. 11) and Clorox executive Linda Rendle (No. 87) have provided essential services, while CVS Health Executive Vice President and incoming CEO Karen Lynch (No. 38) continues to lead the charge in providing Covid-19 testing and will soon aid in the delivery of Covid vaccines worldwide.  

The US-based magazine also said that although the battle against Covid-19 is far from over, countries with female leaders have performed better on two fronts: lower positivity rates and fewer Covid-related deaths, even when accounting for population size. 

Female heads of state tended to act more decisively in combatting the disease, with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen (#37) introducing over 100 measures to block the spread of Covid-19 back in January and New Zealand's PM Jacinda Ardern (#32) stopping the community spread of Covid-19 in her nation.