The Most Famous Man/Woman In The World.

Dalai Lama

I’m surprised no one seems to have mentioned Darwin.

Nelson Mandela

JFK instantly sprang to my mind too NanaDana but I guess that is our age

But how many of the massed Chinese population have heard of him?

I think they've heard of Elon Musk in China for various reasons.

And India.

I thought it was meant to be someone living.

Do bear in mind that the combined populations of India and China is now 2.8 billion, so whoever it is, if they aren't big in those two countries, forget them.

Varies according to the seasons I would say. Adam, Moses, the Naz, Julius Caesar, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Einstein, F D Roosevelt, Churchill.....

Sorchame

Currently, I would say Elon Musk.

I guess who is most famous to some depends on their age and interests...
My children and grandchildren would definitely have a different name in the hat to me!

I was about to mention Musk.

Much admired - even adored - by... lots of people.

Frankly, I'm getting tired of being condemned for daring to mention that he might have made a mess of Twitter. Because he's RICH don't you know, and you're not - is the answer I always get if I ask a legitimate question .

But, everyone is aware of him, I guess?

That is a very good point M0nica. it reminds me that perhaps we ought to look outside our own part of the world more often.

Grandma70s

A lot of these choices seem to be very much the most famous in the western world.

If we're including people who have died then Mao Zedong?

I think we are talking about people who transcend nationality.

I would imagine that at the moment, if we judge fame by how many people have heard of him, the most famous man in the world is probably the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. There are 1.4 billion Chinese who know who he is, then most of the population of East Asia, and many in Central Asia, before we even think of the rest of the world.

Even Putin is a distant also-ran compared with him

A lot of these choices seem to be very much the most famous in the western world.

I assume Churchill, Diana, Pope Benedict, JFK did die

M0nica

I assumed from the wording of the OP that we were talking about the living, not the dead.

Yep, and the most famous as opposed to the most worthy!

I assumed from the wording of the OP that we were talking about the living, not the dead.

She refused to visit S Africa as a stand against apartheid, standing firmly against the position of Margaret Thatcher and the government on sanctions.

Yes,

He was the only head of state to address her as Elizabeth

Possibly the two most famous?

Anniebach

Nelson Mandela

Yes, good choice Anniebach

Thank you volver.

I will never forget that walk from prison 1990

Top choice there.

Ohh, that's a good one Anniebach 👍🏼

Nelson Mandela

Alexa is pretty famous herself!
LLFL
And redrobin