Obama edges out President Donald Trump, 17 per cent to 14 per cent, while former secretary of state Clinton moved past Michelle Obama, 9 per cent to 7 per cent and First lady Melania Trump scored one per cent, the poll said.
Obama wins over Trump, who is suffering brutally low approval ratings as he is about to complete his first year in the White House, came in second place followed by Pope Francis.
The former president has made it to the top of the list for the past 10 years, while the former presidential candidate has won 16 years in a row.
Gallup said sitting presidents usually win the most admired spot, and that Obama was the first former president to top the list since second world war general and post-war president Dwight Eisenhower.
"The incumbent president is the usual winner, since he is arguably the most prominent figure in the country," Gallup said in a statement. "But when the president is unpopular, other well-known and well-liked men have been able to finish first."
Results are based on telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of 1,049 adults, ages 18 and older, living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
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