List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office
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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 |
| 14 January 1972 | Margrethe II |  Denmark
|
Queen |
| 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 |
| 26 August 1984 | Hans-Adam II |  Liechtenstein
|
Prince-regent: 26 August 1984 – 13 November 1989 Prince: 13 November 1989 – present[3] |
| 26 December 1984 | Hun Sen |  Cambodia[4]
|
Acting Prime Minister: 26 December 1984 – 14 January 1985 Prime Minister: 14 January 1985 – 2 July 1993 Co-Equal Prime Minister: 2 July 1993 – 21 September 1993 Second Prime Minister: 21 September 1993 – 30 November 1998 Prime Minister: 30 November 1998 – present |
| 29 January 1986 | Yoweri Museveni |  Uganda
|
President[5] |
| 25 April 1986 | Mswati III |  Eswatini[6]
|
King |
| 1 June 1990 | Harald V |  Norway
|
Prince-regent: 1 June 1990 – 17 January 1991 King: 17 January 1991 – present[7] |
| 27 April 1991[8] | 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[9] |
| 7 February 1996 | Letsie III |  Lesotho
|
King[10] |
| 25 October 1997 | Denis Sassou Nguesso |  Congo-Brazzaville
|
President[11] |
| 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[12]
|
Emir: 6 March 1999 – 14 February 2002 King: 14 February 2002 – present |
| 8 May 1999 | Ismaïl Omar Guelleh[13] |  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 |
2000s
2010–2015
2015–2017
2018–2019
2020
2021
2022
List of upcoming leaders
| Taking office | Leader | State | Future office |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Benjamin Netanyahu |  Israel
|
Prime Minister[117] |
| 17 December[118] | Leo Varadkar |  Ireland
|
Taoiseach[119][120] |
| 22 December | Nataša Pirc Musar |  Slovenia
|
President |
| 1 January 2023 | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |  Brazil
|
President[121] |
See also
- List of current heads of state and government
- List of current prime ministers by date of assumption of office
- List of heads of state by diplomatic precedence
- List of oldest living state leaders
- Lists of state leaders by age
- List of current presidents of legislatures
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 Hereditary Prince Alois has been the Prince-Regent for his father, Prince Hans-Adam II since 15 August 2004.
- ^ The country was called the People's Republic of Kampuchea until 1 May 1989, and the State of Cambodia until 24 September 1993.
- ^ Yoweri Museveni was the de facto head of state of Uganda as Commander of the National Resistance Army 26 January 1986 – 29 January 1986.
- ^ The country was called the Kingdom of Swaziland until 19 April 2018.
- ^ Haakon was Prince-Regent of Norway 25 November 2003 – 13 April 2004 and 29 March 2005 – 7 June 2005.
- ^ The country gained independence from Ethiopia on 23 May 1993.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Belarus has been in dispute between Alexander Lukashenko and the Chair of the Coordination Council, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, since 14 August 2020.
- ^ Letsie III was previously King of Lesotho 12 November 1990 – 25 January 1995.
- ^ Denis Sassou Nguesso was previously President of the People's Republic of the Congo / Republic of the Congo 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 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, Salem al-Meslet, since 12 July 2021.
- ^ 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 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 19 March 2003 – 6 September 2003.
- ^ President Gnassingbé is the son of the previous president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma.
- ^ Faure Gnassingbé was previously President of Togo 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.
- ^ Frank Bainimarama was Acting Head of State of Fiji (as President of the Interim Military Government) 29 May 2000 – 13 July 2000.
- ^ Daniel Ortega was a member (and since 4 March 1981 the Coordinator) of the Junta of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua 18 July 1979 – 10 January 1985; he was President of Nicaragua 10 January 1985 – 25 April 1990.
- ^ a b c d e f 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.
- ^ Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- ^ Sheikh Hasina was Prime Minister of Bangladesh 23 June 1996 – 15 July 2001.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o The Governors-General of each Commonwealth realm outside of the United Kingdom represent Charles III.
- ^ President Bongo Ondimba is the son of the previous president, Omar Bongo.
- ^ Viktor Orbán was Prime Minister of Hungary 6 July 1998 – 27 May 2002.
- ^ Alassane Ouattara was Prime Minister of Ivory Coast 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 3 January 2000 – 11 February 2006.
- ^ Macky Sall was Prime Minister of Senegal 21 April 2004 – 19 June 2007.
- ^ Hage Geingob was Prime Minister of Namibia 21 March 1990 – 28 August 2002.
- ^ Borut Pahor was Prime Minister of Slovenia 21 November 2008 – 10 February 2012.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Venezuela has been in dispute between Nicolás Maduro and the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, since 11 January 2019.
- ^ Miloš Zeman was Prime Minister of the Czech Republic 22 July 1998 – 15 July 2002.
- ^ 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 25 January 2014 – 13 May 2022.
- ^ Prawit Wongsuwan was acting as Prime Minister for Prayut Chan-o-cha during Chan-o-cha's suspension 24 August 2022 – 30 September 2022.
- ^ Muhammadu Buhari was Head of State of Nigeria (titled Chairman of the Supreme Military Council) 31 December 1983 – 27 August 1985.
- ^ Yemi Osinbajo acted as President of Nigeria in Abuja 6 June 2016 – 19 June 2016 while Muhammadu Buhari recovered from an illness in a London hospital. Osinbajo again acted as President in Abuja 19 January 2017 – 13 March 2017 and 7 May 2017 – 19 August 2017 while Buhari received treatment in a London hospital.
- ^ Prime Minister Trudeau is the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
- ^ Andrew Holness was Prime Minister of Jamaica 23 October 2011 – 5 January 2012.
- ^ Faustin Touadéra was Prime Minister of the Central African Republic 22 January 2008 – 17 January 2013.
- ^ Azali Assoumani was Chief of Staff of the National Development Army (de facto leader of the Comoros) 30 April 1999 – 6 May 1999, Head of State of the Comoros 6 May 1999 – 21 January 2002, then the elected President 6 May 2002 – 26 May 2006.
- ^ Prem Tinsulanonda was Regent of Thailand 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.
- ^ Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II was Acting O le Ao o le Malo 11 May 2007 – 20 June 2007.
- ^ 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 30 May 2012 – 1 June 2012.
- ^ Julius Maada Bio was Head of State of Sierra Leone (as leader of the Supreme Council of State) 16 January 1996 – 29 March 1996.
- ^ The office of Head of State of Cuba was styled as President of the Council of State 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 2 December 1976 – 21 December 2019, then as Prime Minister 21 December 2019 – present.
- ^ Milo Đukanović was Prime Minister of the Republic of Montenegro 15 February 1991 – 5 February 1998, President of the Republic of Montenegro 15 January 1998 – 25 November 2002, Prime Minister again 8 January 2003 – 10 November 2006; and Prime Minister of Montenegro 29 February 2008 – 29 December 2010 and 4 December 2012 – 29 November 2016. The Republic of Montenegro became independent on 3 June 2006 by seceding from Serbia and Montenegro, and was renamed Montenegro on 22 October 2007.
- ^ Mostafa Madbouly was Acting Prime Minister of Egypt 23 November 2017 – 27 January 2018.
- ^ Taur Matan Ruak was President of East Timor 20 May 2012 – 20 May 2017.
- ^ The office of Prime Minister of Yemen has been in dispute between Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed and Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour, the prime minister of the Supreme Political Council government, since 18 October 2018.
- ^ Željko Komšić was a Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 November 2006 – 17 November 2014, and served as the Chairman of the Presidency 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.
- ^ Su Tseng-chang was President of the Executive Yuan 25 January 2006 – 21 May 2007.
- ^ Andry Rajoelina was Head of State of Madagascar (as President of the High Transitional Authority) 17 March 2009 – 25 January 2014.
- ^ Félix Tshisekedi is the son of former Prime Minister Étienne Tshisekedi.
- ^ Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev was Acting Prime Minister of Kazakhstan 1 October 1999 – 12 October 1999, then Prime Minister of Kazakhstan 12 October 1999 – 28 January 2002.
- ^ Manasseh Sogavare was Prime Minister of Solomon Islands 30 June 2000 – 17 December 2001, 4 May 2006 – 20 December 2007, and 9 December 2014 – 15 November 2017.
- ^ Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the son of former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis.
- ^ Abdelmadjid Tebboune was Prime Minister of Algeria 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 1 April 2014 – 1 October 2014.
- ^ Haitham bin Tariq is the cousin of the former Sultan, Qaboos bin Said.
- ^ Robert Abela is the son of former President George Abela.
- ^ David Kabua is the son of former President Amata Kabua.
- ^ Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun was Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Republic 19 September 1993 – 8 September 1995 and 10 February 1999 – 29 October 2003.
- ^ Andrey Belousov was acting as Prime Minister for Mikhail Mishustin 30 April 2020 – 19 May 2020.
- ^ Zoran Milanović was Prime Minister of Croatia 23 December 2011 – 22 January 2016.
- ^ Umaro Sissoco Embaló was Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau 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 14 February 2005 – 13 February 2010 and President of Abkhazia 29 May 2011 – 1 June 2014. Russia recognized Abkhazia as an independent state on 26 August 2008.
- ^ Arayik Harutyunyan was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh 14 September 2007 – 25 September 2017. The country was called the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh until 10 March 2017.
- ^ 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 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 6 October 2020 – 10 October 2020, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan 10 October 2020 – 21 January 2021; and Acting President of Kyrgyzstan 15 October 2020 – 14 November 2020. Japarov took a leave of absence from the office of Prime Minister 14 November 2020 – 11 January 2021 to compete in the 2021 Kyrgyz presidential election; Artyom Novikov acted for Japarov.
- ^ Irakli Garibashvili was Prime Minister of Georgia 20 November 2013 – 30 December 2015.
- ^ a b c 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, 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 3 February 2020 – 3 June 2020.
- ^ Vjosa Osmani was Acting President of Kosovo 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) 19 August 2020 – 27 August 2020 and Acting Head of State of Mali 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 4 October 2017 – 27 January 2021.
- ^ Isaac Herzog is the son of former President Chaim Herzog.
- ^ Sher Bahadur Deuba was Prime Minister of Nepal 12 September 1995 – 12 March 1997, 26 July 2001 – 4 October 2002, 4 June 2004 – 1 February 2005, and 7 June 2017 – 15 February 2018.
- ^ Najib Mikati was Prime Minister of Lebanon 19 April 2005 – 19 July 2005 and 13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014.
- ^ José Maria Neves was Prime Minister of Cape Verde 1 February 2001 – 22 April 2016.
- ^ Nicolae Ciucă was Acting Prime Minister of Romania 7 December 2020 – 23 December 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Shehbaz Sharif is the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
- ^ Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka 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 26 October 2018 – 15 December 2018.
- ^ José Ramos-Horta was Acting Prime Minister of East Timor 26 June 2006 – 10 July 2006, Prime Minister of East Timor 10 July 2006 – 19 May 2007, and President of East Timor 20 May 2007 – 11 February 2008 and 17 April 2008 – 20 May 2012.
- ^ Han Duck-soo was Acting Prime Minister of South Korea 14 March 2006 – 19 April 2006, and Prime Minister of South Korea 2 April 2007 – 29 February 2008.
- ^ Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was President of Somalia 16 September 2012 – 16 February 2017. Source: New Somali President Inaugurated, Warns of Famine
- ^ Bongbong Marcos is the son of former President and Prime Minister Ferdinand Marcos.
- ^ Prime Minister Ahmad is the son of the current Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
- ^ Mohammed bin Salman is the son of the current King, Salman.
- ^ Maria Luisa Berti was a Captain Regent of San Marino 1 April 2011 – 1 October 2011.
- ^ Patrice Trovoada is the son of former prime minister and president Miguel Trovoada.
- ^ Patrice Trovoada was Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe 14 February 2008 – 22 June 2008, 14 August 2010 – 12 December 2012, and 25 November 2014 – 3 December 2018.
- ^ Benjamin Netanyahu was Prime Minister of Israel 18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999 and 31 March 2009 – 13 June 2021.
- ^ Devane, Michelle (9 November 2022). "Leo Varadkar set to become Ireland's Taoiseach on December 17". Morning Star. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach 14 June 2017 – 27 June 2020.
- ^ As written in the coalition agreement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the support of the Greens.
- ^ Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was President of Brazil 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2010.