Messi said: "It's a great personal pleasure for me. It's the third time I've won it. It's just an amazing honour".
"I want to thank everyone that's been involved with me - my teammates, trainers, physios, the coach (Pep Guardiola) and everyone at Barcelona.
"I'd also like to thank the Argentina national team as well.''
Messi becomes only the second player, after current UEFA president Michel Platini, to win the award for three consecutive years.
He also joins Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten as the only men to have won the prize on three occasions.
"I want to share this honour with my teammate, Xavi,'' added Messi, who then addressed his clubmate in the audience at the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala.
"He deserves it, too. I want to share it with you, because you deserve it as much as me. It's a pleasure to be here alongside him and to play with him.''
The award was formed when the Ballon d'Or merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2010 and is voted for by national team coaches and captains, as well as a panel of football journalists selected by France Football magazine.
Messi was the strong favourite to retain his prize after a year in which he inspired his club to five trophies, including the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and a third consecutive La Liga title.
He scored twice, including a memorable solo goal at the Bernabeu, as Barca beat old enemies Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals and he was also on target from long range in the 3-1 defeat of Manchester United in the final at Wembley.
This season he has scored his 200th goal for Barcelona and is closing in on Cesar Rodriguez's all-time record of 235 goals for the club.
Earlier, Guardiola, 40, was named the world's best coach in 2011.
The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder had been nominated alongside last year's winner Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid and Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson.
"I want to dedicate this award to the thousands of people who, through more than a hundred years, have worked for FC Barcelona and helped develop one of the best clubs in the world,'' Guardiola said.
"It's a privilege and an honour for me to be a part of this excellent, amazing club.''
Barcelona's dominance in the men's game was matched by Japan's World Cup-winning team in women's football.
Tournament top-scorer Homare Sawa ended Brazil forward Marta's five-year hold on the world's best women's player award while Norio Sasaki won the award for best coach of a women's team for guiding Japan to the 2011 World Cup.
Pia Sundhage of the US, the beaten finalists, and France's Bruno Bini were also voted onto the short list.
Votes were cast by national team coaches and captains, plus invited journalists.
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