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This is a list of current state leaders ordered by their continuous tenure in a position of national leadership. For countries in which the head of state and head of government are separate, both offices are listed. For leaders who held the same office prior to their state's independence, the start of their tenure is used, not independence. For a list of heads of state taking dates of independence into account, see List of heads of state by diplomatic precedence.
Acting presidents are included in this list, but if a leader has non-consecutive terms, only the current period of service is listed.
States where head of state differs from head of government are mainly parliamentary systems. Often a leader holds both positions in presidential systems or dictatorships. Some states have semi-presidential systems where the head of government role is fulfilled by both the listed head of government and the head of state.
List of state leaders by date of assuming office
Prior to 2000
| Assumed office | Leader | State | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 October 1967[1] | Hassanal Bolkiah |  Brunei
|
Sultan: 5 October 1967 – present Prime Minister: 1 January 1984 – present |
| 15 September 1973 | Carl XVI Gustaf |  Sweden
|
King |
| 30 June 1975 | Paul Biya |  Cameroon
|
Prime Minister: 30 June 1975 – 6 November 1982 President: 6 November 1982 – present |
| 3 August 1979 | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo[2] |  Equatorial Guinea
|
Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council: 3 August 1979 – 25 August 1979 Chairman of the Supreme Military Council: 25 August 1979 – 12 October 1982 President: 12 October 1982 – present |
| 13 October 1981 | Ali Khamenei |  Iran
|
President: 13 October 1981 – 2 August 1989 Supreme Leader: 4 June 1989 – present |
| 25 March 1983 | Ntfombi |  Eswatini[3]
|
Queen Regent: 25 March 1983 – 25 April 1986 Queen Mother: 25 April 1986 – present |
| 26 August 1984 | Hans-Adam II |  Liechtenstein
|
Prince-regent: 26 August 1984 – 13 November 1989 Prince: 13 November 1989 – present[4] |
| 29 January 1986 | Yoweri Museveni |  Uganda
|
President[5] |
| 25 April 1986 | Mswati III | Eswatini[3]
|
King |
| 1 June 1990 | Harald V |  Norway
|
Prince-regent: 1 June 1990 – 17 January 1991 King: 17 January 1991 – present[6] |
| 27 April 1991[7] | Isaias Afwerki |  Eritrea
|
Secretary-General of the Provisional Government: 27 April 1991 – 23 May 1993 President: 23 May 1993 – present Chairman of the People's Front: 1 March 1994 – present |
| 19 November 1992 | Emomali Rahmon |  Tajikistan
|
Acting Chairman of the Supreme Council: 19 November 1992 – 27 November 1992 Chairman of the Supreme Council: 27 November 1992 – 16 November 1994 President: 16 November 1994 – present |
| 20 July 1994 | Alexander Lukashenko |  Belarus
|
President[8] |
| 7 February 1996 | Letsie III |  Lesotho
|
King[9] |
| 25 October 1997 | Denis Sassou Nguesso |  Congo-Brazzaville
|
President[10] |
| 3 March 1998 | Henri |  Luxembourg
|
Prince-regent: 3 March 1998 – 7 October 2000 Grand Duke: 7 October 2000 – present |
| 25 January 1999 | Abdullah II |  Jordan
|
Prince-regent: 25 January 1999 – 7 February 1999 King: 7 February 1999 – present |
| 6 March 1999 | Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa |  Bahrain[11]
|
Emir: 6 March 1999 – 14 February 2002 King: 14 February 2002 – present |
| 8 May 1999 | Ismaïl Omar Guelleh[12] |  Djibouti
|
President |
| 23 July 1999 | Mohammed VI |  Morocco
|
King |
| 9 August 1999 | Vladimir Putin |  Russia
|
Acting Prime Minister: 9 August 1999 – 16 August 1999 Prime Minister: 16 August 1999 – 7 May 2000 Acting President: 31 December 1999 – 7 May 2000 President: 7 May 2000 – 7 May 2008 Prime Minister: 8 May 2008 – 7 May 2012 President: 7 May 2012 – present |
2000–2009
2010–2014
2015–2017
2018–2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
List of upcoming leaders
| Taking office | Leader | State | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May | Lawrence Wong |  Singapore
|
Prime Minister |
| 20 May | Lai Ching-te |  Taiwan
|
President[131] |
| Cho Jung-tai | Premier | ||
| 15 June | Peter Pellegrini |  Slovakia
|
President[132] |
| 1 July | Sam Mostyn |  Australia
|
Governor-General[28] |
| 20 October | Prabowo Subianto |  Indonesia
|
President |
See also
Notes
- ^ Brunei was a British protected state until 1 January 1984.
- ^ President Obiang is the nephew of the previous president, Francisco Macías Nguema.
- ^ a b The country was called the Kingdom of Swaziland until 19 April 2018.
- ^ a b Hereditary Prince Alois has been the Prince-Regent for his father, Prince Hans-Adam II since 15 August 2004.
- ^ Yoweri Museveni was the de facto head of state of Uganda as Commander of the National Resistance Army from 26 January 1986 – 29 January 1986.
- ^ Haakon was Prince-Regent of Norway from 25 November 2003 – 13 April 2004 and 29 March 2005 – 7 June 2005.
- ^ The country gained independence from Ethiopia on 23 May 1993.
- ^ Lukashenko's presidency has been disputed since 23 September 2020.
- ^ Letsie III was previously King of Lesotho from 12 November 1990 – 25 January 1995.
- ^ Denis Sassou Nguesso was previously President of the People's Republic of the Congo / Republic of the Congo from 8 February 1979 – 31 August 1992. Sassou Nguesso was the de facto head of state of the Republic of the Congo as a militia leader from 15 October 1997 – 25 October 1997.
- ^ The country was called the State of Bahrain before 14 February 2002.
- ^ President Guelleh is the nephew of the previous president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon.
- ^ President Assad is the son of the previous president, Hafez al-Assad.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Syria has been in dispute between Bashar al-Assad and the President of the National Coalition, Hadi al-Bahra, since 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d The Representatives of Andorra each represent their respective Co-Prince. Josep Maria Mauri represents Joan Enric Vives i Sicília and Patrick Strzoda represents Emmanuel Macron.
- ^ President Aliyev is the son of the previous president, Heydar Aliyev.
- ^ Artur Rasizade was Acting Prime Minister of Azerbaijan from 6 August 2003 – 4 November 2003.
- ^ Lee Hsien Loong is the son of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
- ^ Mahmoud Abbas was Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority from 19 March 2003 – 6 September 2003.
- ^ President Gnassingbé is the son of the previous president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma.
- ^ Faure Gnassingbé was previously President of Togo from 5 February 2005 – 25 February 2005.
- ^ The country gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011.
- ^ It was the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region until 9 July 2011.
- ^ Sheikh Mohammed is the brother of the previous Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and son of the Prime Minister before that, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
- ^ Daniel Ortega was a member (and during 4 March 1981 – 10 January 1985 the Coordinator) of the Junta of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua 18 July 1979 – 10 January 1985; he was President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1985 – 25 April 1990.
- ^ Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of former president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- ^ Sheikh Hasina was Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 23 June 1996 – 15 July 2001.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p The Governors-General of each Commonwealth realm outside of the United Kingdom represent Charles III.
- ^ Viktor Orbán was Prime Minister of Hungary from 6 July 1998 – 27 May 2002.
- ^ Alassane Ouattara was Prime Minister of Ivory Coast from 7 November 1990 – 9 December 1993.
- ^ Kim Jong-un is the son and grandson of the two previous supreme leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.
- ^ The late Kim Il Sung has been designated "Eternal President of North Korea" and the post of President has not been filled since his death on 8 July 1994, making Kim Il-sung in his de jure capacity the only deceased person considered a current head of state in the world.
The term Supreme Leader is used as a description, for the sake of brevity, rather than being an official title of a single office. The actual offices held by Kim Jong-un are: General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, President of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the DPRK. The office of President of the State Affairs Commission was formalized as head of state by a constitutional amendment proclaimed on 11 April 2019. - ^ Tupou VI (then known as ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho) was Prime Minister of Tonga from 3 January 2000 – 11 February 2006.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Venezuela has been in dispute between Nicolás Maduro and the President of the National Assembly, Dinorah Figuera, since 5 January 2023.
- ^ Mohamed bin Zayed is the brother of the previous President, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
- ^ Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was regent for his brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan from 25 January 2014 – 13 May 2022.
- ^ Leader of Ansar Allah as an insurgency since 2004, until the successful takeover in 2015
- ^ Prime Minister Trudeau is the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Swiss Federal Council is a collective seven-member Head of State. The President of Switzerland serves solely in a primus inter pares capacity for one year.
- ^ Andrew Holness was Prime Minister of Jamaica from 23 October 2011 – 5 January 2012.
- ^ Faustin Touadéra was Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 22 January 2008 – 17 January 2013.
- ^ Azali Assoumani was Chief of Staff of the National Development Army (de facto leader of the Comoros) from 30 April 1999 – 6 May 1999, Head of State of the Comoros from 6 May 1999 – 21 January 2002, then the elected President from 6 May 2002 – 26 May 2006.
- ^ Prem Tinsulanonda was Regent of Thailand from 13 October 2016 – 1 December 2016.
- ^ President Akufo-Addo is the son of a former president, Edward Akufo-Addo.
- ^ Prime Minister Jugnauth is the son of a former prime minister and president, Sir Anerood Jugnauth.
- ^ Ismail Haniyeh was Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority from 29 March 2006 – 2 June 2014 (Note: during 29 March 2006 – 14 June 2007, Haniyeh's premiership was not under dispute and he exercised authority over all areas controlled by the Palestinian National Authority), and was Hamas Chief in the Gaza Strip from 2 June 2014 – 13 February 2017.
- ^ Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II was Acting O le Ao o le Malo from 11 May 2007 – 20 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Syria's Idlib enclave: how does it work?". Agence France-Presse. Beirut. France 24. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
The head of the Salvation Government is [the prime minister], who assumed his post late last year, but the region's strongman is HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
- ^ When Barbados had a monarch as head of state, the Governor-General of Barbados represented Elizabeth II, who was Queen of the country. Sandra Mason was Acting Governor-General of Barbados from 30 May 2012 – 1 June 2012.
- ^ Julius Maada Bio was Head of State of Sierra Leone (as leader of the Supreme Council of State) from 16 January 1996 – 29 March 1996.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Cuba was styled as President of the Council of State from 2 December 1976 – 10 October 2019, then as President of the Republic 10 October 2019 – present.
- ^ The office of Head of Government of Cuba was styled as President of the Council of Ministers from 2 December 1976 – 21 December 2019, then as Prime Minister from 21 December 2019 – present.
- ^ Mostafa Madbouly was Acting Prime Minister of Egypt from 23 November 2017 – 27 January 2018.
- ^ Željko Komšić was a Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 6 November 2006 – 17 November 2014, and served as the Chairman of the Presidency from 6 July 2007 – 6 March 2008, 6 July 2009 – 6 March 2010, 10 July 2011 – 10 March 2012, and 10 July 2013 – 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b c In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Presidency is a Tripartite council, with the Chairman of the Presidency rotating every eight months.
- ^ Félix Tshisekedi is the son of former Prime Minister Étienne Tshisekedi.
- ^ Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was Acting Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 1 October 1999 – 12 October 1999, then Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 12 October 1999 – 28 January 2002.
- ^ Manasseh Sogavare was Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 30 June 2000 – 17 December 2001, 4 May 2006 – 20 December 2007 and 9 December 2014 – 15 November 2017.
- ^ Abdelmadjid Tebboune was Prime Minister of Algeria from 25 May 2017 – 15 August 2017.
- ^ The Secretary for Foreign Affairs is the de facto head of government of San Marino.
- ^ Luca Beccari was a Captain Regent of San Marino from 1 April 2014 – 1 October 2014.
- ^ Robert Abela is the son of former president George Abela.
- ^ Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun was Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Republic from 19 September 1993 – 8 September 1995 and 10 February 1999 – 29 October 2003.
- ^ Andrey Belousov was acting as Prime Minister for Mikhail Mishustin from 30 April 2020 – 19 May 2020.
- ^ Zoran Milanović was Prime Minister of Croatia from 23 December 2011 – 22 January 2016.
- ^ Umaro Sissoco Embaló was Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 18 November 2016 – 30 January 2018.
- ^ Luis Lacalle Pou is the son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle.
- ^ Aleksander Ankvab was Prime Minister of Abkhazia from 14 February 2005 – 13 February 2010 and President of Abkhazia from 29 May 2011 – 1 June 2014. Russia recognized Abkhazia as an independent state on 26 August 2008.
- ^ The office of Head of Government of Syria has been in dispute between Hussein Arnous and the Prime Minister of the Interim Government, Abdurrahman Mustafa, since 11 June 2020.
- ^ Prime Minister Salman is the son of the current King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
- ^ Maia Sandu was Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 – 14 November 2019.
- ^ Kaja Kallas is the daughter of former Prime Minister Siim Kallas.
- ^ Sadyr Japarov was Acting Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 6 October 2020 – 10 October 2020, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 10 October 2020 – 21 January 2021; and Acting President of Kyrgyzstan from 15 October 2020 – 14 November 2020. Japarov took a leave of absence from the office of Prime Minister from 14 November 2020 – 11 January 2021 to compete in the 2021 Kyrgyz presidential election; Artyom Novikov acted for Japarov.
- ^ As part of a ceasefire agreement, the office of Head of State of Libya consists of a Tripartite presidential council.
- ^ The office of Prime Minister of Libya has been in dispute between Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Fathi Bashagha/Osama Hamada, the interim prime minister of the Government of National Stability supported by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, since 3 March 2022.
- ^ Albin Kurti was Prime Minister of Kosovo from 3 February 2020 – 3 June 2020.
- ^ Vjosa Osmani was Acting President of Kosovo from 5 November 2020 – 22 March 2021.
- ^ Mahamat Déby is the son of the previous President, Idriss Déby.
- ^ Assimi Goïta was Head of State of Mali (as Chairman of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People of Mali) from 19 August 2020 – 27 August 2020 and Acting Head of State of Mali from 27 August 2020 – 25 September 2020.
- ^ Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa is the daughter of former Prime Minister Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II.
- ^ Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh was Prime Minister of Mongolia from 4 October 2017 – 27 January 2021.
- ^ Isaac Herzog is the son of former president Chaim Herzog.
- ^ The Council of Ministers of Haiti is acting as the collective Head of State. Ariel Henry is the first among equals of the Council.
- ^ Najib Mikati was Prime Minister of Lebanon from 19 April 2005 – 19 July 2005 and 13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014.
- ^ José Maria Neves was Prime Minister of Cape Verde from 1 February 2001 – 22 April 2016.
- ^ Serdar Berdimuhamedow is the son of the previous President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Yemen has been in dispute between Rashad Al-Alimi and the Leader of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, since 7 April 2022.
- ^ Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 7 May 1993 – 18 August 1994, 9 December 2001 – 6 April 2004, 9 January 2015 – 26 October 2018 and 15 December 2018 – 21 November 2019. The office of Prime Minister was disputed between Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa from 26 October 2018 – 15 December 2018.
- ^ José Ramos-Horta was Acting Prime Minister of East Timor from 26 June 2006 – 10 July 2006, Prime Minister of East Timor from 10 July 2006 – 19 May 2007 and President of East Timor from 20 May 2007 – 11 February 2008 and 17 April 2008 – 20 May 2012.
- ^ Han Duck-soo was Acting Prime Minister of South Korea from 14 March 2006 – 19 April 2006 and Prime Minister of South Korea from 2 April 2007 – 29 February 2008.
- ^ Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was President of Somalia from 16 September 2012 – 16 February 2017.
- ^ Bongbong Marcos is the son of former President and Prime Minister Ferdinand Marcos.
- ^ Mohammed bin Salman is the son of the current King, Salman.
- ^ Patrice Trovoada is the son of former prime minister and president Miguel Trovoada.
- ^ Patrice Trovoada was Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe from 14 February 2008 – 22 June 2008, 14 August 2010 – 12 December 2012 and 25 November 2014 – 3 December 2018.
- ^ Choguel Kokalla Maïga was Acting Prime Minister of Mali from 6 June 2021 – 21 August 2022.
- ^ Sitiveni Rabuka was Acting Head of State of Fiji (as President of the Interim Military Government) from 14 May 1987 – 5 December 1987, then Prime Minister of Fiji 2 June 1992 – 19 May 1999.
- ^ Pushpa Kamal Dahal was Prime Minister of Nepal from 18 August 2008 – 25 May 2009 and 4 August 2016 – 7 June 2017.
- ^ Benjamin Netanyahu was Prime Minister of Israel from 18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999 and 31 March 2009 – 13 June 2021.
- ^ Sonexay Siphandone is the son of Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Party, President, and Prime Minister Khamtai Siphandone.
- ^ Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was President of Brazil from 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2010.
- ^ Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the son of former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis.
- ^ Kyriakos Mitsotakis was Prime Minister of Greece from 8 July 2019 – 25 May 2023.
- ^ Xanana Gusmão was President of East Timor from 20 May 2002 – 20 May 2007 and Prime Minister of East Timor from 8 August 2007 – 16 February 2015.
- ^ Hun Manet is the son of the previous prime minister, Hun Sen.
- ^ Brice Oligui Nguema is the cousin of the previous President, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
- ^ Cynthia A. Pratt was Acting Prime Minister of the Bahamas from 4 May 2005 – 22 June 2005.
- ^ Raymond Ndong Sima was Prime Minister of Gabon from 27 February 2012 – 27 January 2014.
- ^ Hadi al-Bahra was President of the Syrian National Coalition from 9 July 2014 – 4 January 2015.
- ^ Charlot Salwai was Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 11 February 2016 – 20 April 2020.
- ^ Robert Fico was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 4 July 2006 – 8 July 2010 and 4 April 2012 – 22 March 2018.
- ^ David Adeang is the son of former president Kennan Adeang.
- ^ Donald Tusk was Prime Minister of Poland from 16 November 2007 – 22 September 2014.
- ^ Andry Rajoelina was Head of State of Madagascar (as President of the High Transitional Authority) from 17 March 2009 – 25 January 2014, then the elected President from 19 January 2019 – 9 September 2023.
- ^ Rui Duarte de Barros was Acting Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 16 May 2012 – 3 July 2014.
- ^ Hilda Heine was President of the Marshall Islands from 28 January 2016 – 13 January 2020.
- ^ Bernardo Arévalo is the son of former president Juan José Arévalo.
- ^ Tshering Tobgay was Prime Minister of Bhutan from 27 July 2013 – 9 August 2018.
- ^ The office of Prime Minister of Yemen has been in dispute since 4 October 2016 with Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Supreme Political Council government.
- ^ Feleti Teo is the son of former Governor-General Fiatau Penitala Teo.
- ^ Alexander Stubb was Prime Minister of Finland from 24 June 2014 – 29 May 2015.
- ^ Shehbaz Sharif is the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
- ^ Shehbaz Sharif was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 11 April 2022 – 13 August 2023.
- ^ Asif Ali Zardari is the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
- ^ Asif Ali Zardari was President of Pakistan from 9 September 2008 – 9 September 2013.
- ^ Ivica Dačić was Prime Minister of Serbia from 27 July 2012 – 27 April 2014, and Acting Prime Minister of Serbia from 31 May 2017 – 29 June 2017.
- ^ Võ Thị Ánh Xuân was Acting President of Vietnam from 18 January 2023 – 2 March 2023.
- ^ Alessandro Rossi was a Captain Regent of San Marino from 1 April 2007 – 1 October 2007.
- ^ Bjarni Benediktsson was Prime Minister of Iceland from 11 January 2017 – 30 November 2017.
- ^ Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah is the fifth son of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, and the grandson of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the tenth Emir of Kuwait.
- ^ Lai Ching-te was Premier of Taiwan from 8 September 2017 – 14 January 2019.
- ^ Peter Pellegrini was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 22 March 2018 – 21 March 2020.