Barack Obama beats Donald Trump as America's 'most admired man' for 10th year running

Barack Obama has been named as the "most admired man" by Americans for the 10th year running, almost a year after leaving the White House.

The survey from Gallup has taken place every year since 1946, and rounding off a decade at the top, the former US president came out as America's choice again.

Obama took 17% of the vote, ahead of Donald Trump on 14%, with Pope Francis coming in third on 3%.

Others who appeared on the list were Senator John McCain, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Tesla futurist Elon Musk, and spiritual guru The Dalai Lama.

While Obama managed to be at the top for a 10th year, he has some way to go to match his female counterpart, Hillary Clinton.

The former first lady, senator, secretary of state, and presidential candidate was named the most admired American woman for the 16th year in succession.

Behind Clinton on the list were former first lady Michelle Obama, current British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and musician Beyonce Knowles.

However, a quarter of those surveyed failed to name any man or woman who they admired, while 10% of people opted to nominate a friend or family member.

The poll was conducted from 4-11 December among 1,049 American adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has a margin of sampling error of ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.