Forbes has ranked Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the ninth most powerful person in the world this year. He was number 40 last year.

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Forbes has released its list of “The World’s Most Powerful People.” The annual ranking, which compares politicians, religious leaders, self-made billionaires, major philanthropists, and celebrities, has listed Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg as number nine this year.

At age 27, Zuckerberg is not only the youngest person on the list, but he is also the biggest gainer this year, jumping 31 spots from number 40 in 2010. Forbes estimates his net worth at $17.5 billion.

Unsurprisingly, US president Barack Obama tops the list. The only technology-related figure above Zuckerberg is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, at fifth place (up from 10th last year).

The next technology figures don’t appear till number 30: Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are tied for the spot, having slipped from number 22 last year. Other tech gurus this year include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 40th place (up from 66th), Baidu CEO Robin Li in 42nd, and Apple CEO Tim Cook in 58th.

Forbes takes into account four factors for its ranking. It measures how many people a person has power over, the financial resources controlled by each candidate, whether his or her influence affects more than one arena, and considers how actively they wield their power. This cuts the list down to 70 people, or one for every 100 million people on the planet.