Telegraph experts decide: Who are the World Leaders of the year? | 2025

Key Concepts

• Positive Contribution (2025): The primary metric used to evaluate leaders – focusing on domestic and international impact.
• Domestic Record: A leader’s performance within their own country, specifically regarding economic transformation and reforms.
• International Record: A leader’s engagement with and impact on the global order.
• Tumultuous Year (2025): The context framing the evaluation – a year characterized by instability and significant global events.

Leaders Making a Positive Difference in 2025

The Telegraph assembled a panel of experts to assess world leaders based on their contributions throughout 2025, a year described as “tumultuous.” The evaluation criteria centered on two key areas: domestic performance – specifically, achieving economic transformation or worthwhile reforms – and international engagement, with a focus on upholding the “international order.” The resulting assessment identified five leaders deemed to have made the greatest positive contribution during the year.

Identified Leaders & Initial Mention

The video explicitly names the following leaders as being under consideration for having made a significant positive impact:

• Donald Trump: (No further detail provided in this excerpt)
• Georgia Meloni: (No further detail provided in this excerpt)
• Alshara (Syria): (No further detail provided in this excerpt)
• Hakinda Hitchma: (No further detail provided in this excerpt)
• Leader of China: The video specifically notes the leader of China’s actions are being evaluated, even considering the context of “recent history,” implying a potentially complex assessment.

Evaluation Methodology

The methodology employed by The Telegraph involved a collective assessment by experts “from across the newspaper.” This suggests a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on perspectives from political, economic, and international affairs correspondents. The core of the evaluation rested on a binary assessment: did the leader achieve demonstrable economic transformation or worthwhile reforms domestically, and did they actively support the existing “international order” internationally? The video doesn’t detail how these achievements were measured or weighted, only that they were the primary criteria.

Contextual Framing: 2025 as a "Tumultuous Year"

The framing of 2025 as a “tumultuous year” is significant. This suggests the bar for a “positive contribution” may have been higher than in more stable years. The implication is that leaders who maintained stability, fostered economic growth, or actively worked to preserve international norms were particularly noteworthy in a challenging global environment. The video doesn’t specify what made 2025 tumultuous, but the descriptor sets the stage for a potentially critical evaluation of leadership.

Synthesis & Main Takeaways

The core takeaway from this excerpt is that The Telegraph conducted a focused evaluation of world leaders in 2025, prioritizing demonstrable positive impact in both domestic and international spheres. The evaluation criteria – economic transformation/reform and support for the “international order” – provide a framework for understanding the selection process. While the video only names the leaders under consideration, it establishes the methodology and contextual backdrop for a more detailed analysis to follow. The emphasis on a “tumultuous year” suggests the assessment will likely highlight leaders who demonstrated resilience, stability, and a commitment to positive global engagement.