Donald Trump wins 'Time Person of the Year'

US President-elect Donald Trump has been named the 2016 Time magazine person of the year.

Hillary Clinton, Trump's arch-rival in the US presidential election, came in second followed by the hackers third, Turkey's President Erdogan, the CRISPR scientists and Beyonce.

The announcement was made on Time's website and NBC's Today show on Wednesday morning, reports the Independent.

The award is decided by Time's editors and goes to the person or group, who has had a major influence on the news for better or worse.

The President-elect, who was placed third last year, said receiving the title was a "great honour".

In an article explaining the decision, editor Nancy Gibbs said that Trump has been given the title "for reminding America that demagoguery feeds on despair and that truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it, for empowering a hidden electorate by mainstreaming its furies and live-streaming its fears and for framing tomorrow's political culture by demolishing yesterday's".

The "better or worse" clause also explains that unpopular people can win the award as it is about how much influence they have had on the news agenda, be it positive or negative. In 1938, German dictator Adolf Hitler won the title. Last year, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was placed second.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the Time Person of the year reader's poll with 18 percent of the vote ahead of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Julian Assange who received seven percent of the vote each.