PRESS RELEASES
December 6, 2022

BBC reveals 100 Women list 2022, including global music phenomenon Billie Eilish, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi

The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2022.

BBC 100 Women celebrates the achievements of women internationally, from grassroots volunteers to global leaders.

The announcement of the list kicks off BBC’s 100 Women 2022 season – focusing on women’s experiences around the world with a week of special interviews, documentaries, features and digital content across the BBC.

Notable names on the BBC 100 Women list include global music phenomenon Billie Eilish, actress and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and disability activist Selma Blair and ‘West Side Story’ Hollywood icon Rita Moreno.

From the world of politics, the list includes Ursula von der Leyen – the first female President of the European Commission, Mia Mottley – the first female prime minister of Barbados and Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.

Activists Monica Simpson – reproductive rights campaigner, Judith Heumann – disability rights advocate and Tarana Burke – founder of the #metoo movement also make the list.

From sport, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekab who recently made waves in her home country for competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, is also on the list, as well as Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur who became the first Arab or African woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era.

For the first time this year, the BBC has asked some of the previous 100 Women to nominate women they feel deserve a place on the 2022 list.

South Korean film producer and cultural leader Miky Lee was highlighted by last year’s nominee Rebel Wilson, while Malala Yousafzai nominated Alice Pataxó, a climate campaigner, journalist and influencer from Brazil.

It’s a special year for BBC 100 Women as it celebrates its tenth season, as well as the 90th anniversary of the BBC World Service and the centenary of the BBC. As such, the theme for 100 Women 2022 is progress – and the season will take the opportunity to look back at what’s changed over the past decade, as well as highlighting the inspiring women who have made a difference.

Women have been at the heart of conflict around the world in 2022 which will be reflected in this year’s nominees – from those bravely demanding change in Iran, to the female face of resistance in Ukraine and Russia.

The full list for BBC 100 Women is available here from Tuesday 6th December: BBC.com/100women

Tim Davie, BBC Director-General of the BBC, said: “It’s wonderful to see this year’s list of 100 Women, and to be celebrating its tenth season. The women on this year’s list are all remarkable in what they have achieved and contributed to their communities and society, and I am proud that the BBC continues to do vital work by shining a spotlight on them and sharing their stories around the world through our first-class journalism and storytelling.”

Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of BBC World Service, said: “In the tenth year of 100 Women, it is brilliant to see how the annual season has gone from strength to strength. I remember our launch and very first intake of 100 Women – little did we know how much the project would grow.

“I’m delighted to see the women featured on this year’s list. They, like all the women before them, have contributed to our world in incredible ways, and we celebrate this. This is about increasing visibility and giving recognition where it’s due.”

“With this year also being the 90th anniversary of BBC World Service, I am glad that 100 Women continues our commitment to reporting and telling the stories of people’s lives from all over the world.”

BBC 100 Women in Conversation

The BBC 100 women season sees several high profile names in conversation for a special series of programmes across the BBC.

At the age of 20, Billie Eilish is the first singer born in the 21st century to hit number 1 in the Billboard charts and win an Oscar. She has more than 200 million followers across her social media. We exclusively join her for the last night of her world tour to talk fame, imposter syndrome and identity for BBC 100 women.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has spoken with BBC 100 Women about feminism, the impact of the current war on mental health, and what victory looks like. She also shared deeply personal insights in terms of how she feels finding herself in the role of first lady.

BBC 100 Women have also exclusively spoken with actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and disability activist Selma Blair and Hollywood icon Rita Moreno.

These interviews will be available to watch on BBC World News and BBC.com/100women

Other documentaries and programmes airing in this year’s BBC 100 Women season:

Greenland’s lost generation

Greenland has been rocked by a scandal revealing a Danish campaign to curb its growing Inuit population from the mid-1960s to late 1970s. Now being officially investigated, about 4,500 women had an intrauterine device, commonly known as coil, inserted – often against their will. BBC 100 Women goes to the heart of the scandal, meeting women who’ve begun piecing together reasons behind physical and mental trauma that they’d endured for decades in silence.

Honduras: Inside the abortion pill black market

As the US has tightened its reproductive laws after the Roe v Wade overturn, BBC 100 Women has travelled to Honduras – the world’s most restrictive country for female reproductive rights, where even the emergency contraception pill is outlawed – to take a look at the rise in the sale and use of black market ‘abortion pills’.

In a country that has a ban on abortion in every instance, BBC 100 Women meets the women buying the pills, the men profiteering from them, the doctors dealing with the fallout, and the politicians reluctant to make progress.

The rise of the virtual K-pop princess

With the rise of K-pop music globally, there has also been a growing phenomenon of hyper-realistic avatars in girl bands. BBC 100 Women takes a look at the impact of these flawless fantasy women – who are available online 24/7, constantly re-invent themselves and are immune to bullying and internet trolling – on their fans, their bandmates, and the real women behind the virtual stars. What are the repercussions of this new digital trend, idolising singers who are all presented as perfect, slim, ageless?

The women fighting to be priests

There are over a billion Catholics around the world, and women have always played a significant role in the life of the Church – but have been excluded from the Catholic hierarchy. A number of devotees feel called upon to serve God as priests, but the Vatican has never allowed female ordination to priesthood. Now, there’s a growing movement to change this. Over 200 women have chosen to take part in secret ordination services, despite knowing they will be excommunicated from the Church. BBC 100 Women follows two women who have been unofficially ordained in the US and Colombia. Is there a future for women priests? And can this change happen in our lifetime?

These documentaries will be available to watch in full from Tuesday 6th December on BBC World News.

Notes to editors

100 Women was established in 2013 as an annual series focused on a list of 100 inspiring and influential women. The list is supported by features, investigations and interviews highlighting the work of these women. In 2016 the 100 Women season was recognised with an Alliance for Women in Media Gracie award, after generating 30 million hits over a three-week season. The project was also a finalist for the US Peabody Awards 2017 and has scooped many other accolades.

In previous years, the list has featured women including Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, education activist Malala Yousafzai, actress and activist Jane Fonda, environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, footballer Megan Rapinoe, designer Vera Wang, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and many more.

BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV and digital.  BBC World Service reaches a weekly audience of 364m. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences. For more information, visit bbc.com/worldservice. The BBC attracts a weekly global audience of 492m people to its services available internationally, including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel, bbc.com/news, BBC Studios and the international charity, BBC Media Action.

BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features, including BBC Worklife, BBC Culture, BBC Future, BBC Travel and BBC Reel, for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 139 million unique browsers each month.  BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The channel’s content is available in millions of hotel rooms, on cruise ships, and numerous airlines.

BBC 100 Women 2022 Full List (names in no particular order):

  1. Billie Eilish, US Singer-songwriter
  2. Ona Carbonell, Spain Artistic swimmer
  3. Geraldina Guerra, Ecuador Femicide activist
  4. Sandy Cabrera Arteaga, Honduras Reproductive rights advocate
  5. Sandya Eknaligoda, Sri Lanka Human rights activist
  6. Kimiko Hirata, Japan Climate campaigner
  7. Jane Rigby, US Astronomer and astrophysicist
  8. Chanel Contos, Australia Sexual consent activist
  9. Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, Rwanda Referee
  10. Marie Christina Kolo, Madagascar Climate entrepreneur
  11. Milli, Thailand Rap artist
  12. Naja Lyberth, Greenland Psychologist
  13. Ibijoke Faborode, Nigeria Co-founder of ElectHER
  14. Judy Kihumba, Kenya Sign language interpreter
  15. Nathalie Becquart, Vatican Nun
  16. Heidi Crowter, UK Disability campaigner
  17. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, India Actress and producer
  18. Selma Blair, US Actress
  19. Rita Moreno, Puerto Rico/US Actress
  20. Geetanjali Shree, India Author
  21. Alice Pataxó, Brazil Indigenous activist
  22. Simone Tebet, Brazil Member of the Brazilian Federal Senate
  23. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Nigeria Law professor
  24. Sneha Jawale, India Social worker and burns survivor
  25. Ursula von der Leyen, Germany President of the European Commission
  26. Kisanet Tedros, Eritrea Educational entrepreneur
  27. Alla Pugacheva, Russia Musician
  28. Mia Mottley, Barbados Prime Minister of Barbados
  29. Dilek Gürsoy, Germany Heart surgeon
  30. Esraa Warda, Algeria/US Dancer
  31. Naomi Long, Northern Ireland Politician
  32. Olena Zelenska, Ukraine First Lady of Ukraine
  33. Ons Jabeur, Tunisia Tennis player
  34. Sofía Heinonen, Argentina Environmentalist
  35. Nigar Marf, Iraq Nurse
  36. Velmariri Bambari, Indonesia Activist
  37. Monica Simpson, US Reproductive rights campaigner
  38. Velia Vidal, Colombia Writer
  39. María Fernanda Castro Maya, Mexico Disability activist
  40. Yuliia Sachuk, Ukraine Disability leader
  41. Reema Juffali, Saudi Arabia Racing driver
  42. Mie Kyung (Miky) Lee, South Korea Producer
  43. Aye Nyein Thu, Myanmar Medical doctor
  44. Sirisha Bandla, India Aeronautical engineer
  45. Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukraine Human rights lawyer
  46. Eva Copa, Bolivia Politician
  47. Erika Hilton, Brazil Politician
  48. Ceci Flores, Mexico Activist
  49. Suvada Selimović, Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace campaigner
  50. Judith Heumann, US Disability rights advocate
  51. Cheng Yen, Taiwan Buddhist nun
  52. Maryna Viazovska, Ukraine Mathematician
  53. Sally Scales, Australia Artist
  54. Wegahta Gebreyohannes Abera, Tigray, Ethiopia Humanitarian aid worker
  55. Ayesha Malik, Pakistan Judge
  56. Yulimar Rojas, Venezuela Athlete
  57. Kristina Berdynskykh, Ukraine Journalist
  58. Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Ghana Author
  59. Tamana Zaryab Paryani, Afghanistan Activist
  60. Zhou Xiaoxuan, China Feminist activist
  61. Maeen Al-Obaidi, Yemen Lawyer
  62. Alexandra Skochilenko, Russia Artist
  63. Fatima Amiri, Afghanistan Student
  64. Sanjida Islam Choya, Bangladesh Student
  65. Iryna Kondratova, Ukraine Paediatrician
  66. Tarana Burke, US Activist
  67. Samrawit Fikru, Ethiopia Tech Entrepreneur
  68. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, UK Charity worker
  69. Monica Musonda, Zambia Businesswoman
  70. Yana Zinkevych, Ukraine Politician and frontline medical volunteer
  71. Zahra Joya, Afghanistan Journalist
  72. Lina Abu Akleh, Palestinian Territories, Human rights campaigner
  73. Hadizatou Mani, Niger Anti-slavery campaigner
  74. Sepideh Qoliyan, Iran Political campaigner
  75. Narges Mohammadi, Iran Human rights campaigner
  76. Gohar Eshghi, Iran Civil activist
  77. Efrat Tilma, Israel Volunteer
  78. Gehad Hamdy, Egypt Humanitarian and dentist
  79. Park Ji-hyun, South Korea Political reformer
  80. Taisia Bekbulatova, Russia Journalist
  81. Sarah Chan, South Sudan NBA scouter
  82. Erika Liriano, Dominican Republic Cocoa entrepreneur
  83. Woman cutting her hair Protester
  84. Layli, Iran Protester
  85. Roya Piraei, Iran Activist
  86. Victoria Baptiste, US Nurse and vaccine educator
  87. Laura McAllister, Wales Professor and former footballer
  88. Moud Goba, UK LGBTQI+ activist
  89. Asonele Kotu, South Africa Tech entrepreneur
  90. Yuliia Paievska, Ukraine Paramedic
  91. Zara Mohammadi, Iran Educator
  92. Dima Aktaa, Syria Runner
  93. Ifeoma Ozoma, US Public policy and tech specialist
  94. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Iran Actress
  95. Elnaz Rekabi, Iran Climber
  96. Roza Salih, Scotland Politician
  97. Ainura Sagyn, Kyrgyzstan Computer engineer
  98. Jebina Yasmin Islam, UK Campaigner
  99. Kadri Keung, Hong Kong Fashion designer
  100. Niloufar Bayani, Iran Ecologist
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