Women Political Leaders—Historical and Current
Updated March 9, 2022 |
Infoplease Staff
The following table lists the current and historical female political leaders of the countries of the world, according to country name, woman's name, political title, and years in power, including Queen Elizabeth I, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, and more.
 Queen Elizabeth I Archive Photos |  Archive Photos Benazir Bhutto |  British Information Service Margaret Thatcher |  Angela Merkel Agencia Brasil |  MystifyMe Concert Julia Gillard |
| Country | Name | Reign |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | Queen Nzingha | 1582–1663 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Tack | 2007–2014 |
| Argentina | President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner | 2007– |
| Argentina | President Isabel Perón | 1974–1976 |
| Lesser Armenia | Queen Zabel | 1219–1226 |
| Australia | Governor-General Dr. Quentin Bryce | 2008–2014 |
| Australia | Prime Minister Julia Gillard | 2010–2013 |
| Bahamas | Governor-General Dame Ivy Dumont | 2001–2005 |
| Bahamas | Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling | 2014– |
| Bangladesh | Prime Minister Khaleda Zia | 1991–1996, 2001–2006 |
| Bangladesh | Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed | 1996–2001, 2008– |
| Barbados | Governor-general Dame Nita Barrow | 1990–1995 |
| Belize | Governor-general Dame Minita Gordon | 1981–1993 |
| Bermuda | Premier Pamela Gordon | 1997–1998 |
| Bermuda | Premier Jennifer Smith | 1998–2003 |
| Bermuda | Premier Paula A. Cox | 2010–2012 |
| Bolivia | Prime Minister Lidia Gueiler | 1979–1980 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | President Borjana Kristo | 2007–2011 |
| Brazil | Queen Maria I | 1815–1816 |
| Brazil | Empress Isabel (regent) | 1871–1872, 1876–1877, 1887–1888 |
| Brazil | President Dimla Vana Linhares Rousseff | 2011– |
| Burundi | Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi | 1993–1994 |
| Byzantium (Roman Empire) | Empress Theodora | 1055–1056 |
| Cambodia | Queen Ang Mey | 1835–1840, 1844–1845 |
| Cambodia | Queen Kossamak (joint ruler) | 1955–1960 |
| Canada | Governor-general Jeanne Sauvé | 1984–1990 |
| Canada | Prime Minister Kim Campbell | 1993 (4 months) |
| Canada | Governor-general Adrienne Clarkson | 1999–2005 |
| Canada | Governor-general Michaëlle Jean | 2005–2010 |
| Cayman Islands | Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly | 2012–2013 |
| Central African Republic | Prime Minister Elizabeth Domitien | 1974–1976 |
| Central African Republic | Acting Head of State Catherine Samba-Panza | 2014– |
| Cherokee Nation | Wilma Mankiller | 1985–1995 |
| Chile | President Michelle Bachelet Jeria | 2006–2010; 2014– |
| China | Empress Wu Chao | 655–705 |
| China | Dowager Empress Tsu-Hsi | 1861–1908 |
| China | Dowager Empress Longyu | 1911–1912 |
| Costa Rica | President Laura Chinchilla Miranda | 2010–2014 |
| Croatia | Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor | 2009–2011 |
| Croatia | Prime Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic | 2015– |
| Cyprus, North | Prime Minister Sibel Siber | 2013 (3 months) |
| Denmark | Queen Margaret I | 1387–1412 |
| Denmark | Queen Margrethe II | 1972–present |
| Denmark | Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt | 2011– |
| Dominica | Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles | 1980–1995 |
| Easter Island | Paramount Chief Koreto Puakurunga | 1868–1869? |
| Easter Island | Paramount Chief Carolina | 1869?–1888? |
| Egypt | Queen Hatshepsut | 1501–1498 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Tiye | 1415–1340 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Nefertiti | 1372–1350 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Nefertari | 1292–1225 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Arsinoe II (joint ruler) | 279–270 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Berenice | 81–80 B.C. |
| Egypt | Queen Cleopatra VII | 51–30 B.C. |
| Egypt | Empress Zauditu | 1916–1930 |
| Ethiopia | Empress Candace | 332 B.C. |
| Ethiopia | Empress Zaudita | 1916–1930 |
| Faeroe Islands | Prime Minister Marita Petersen | 1993–1994 |
| Finland | President Tarja Halonen | 2000–2012 |
| Finland | Prime Minister Anneli Jäätteenmäki | 2003 (2 months) |
| Finland | Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi | 2010–2011 |
| Finland, Åland Islands | Premier Viveca Eriksson | 2007–2011 |
| Finland, Åland Islands | Premier Camilla Gunell | 2011– |
| France | Prime Minister Edith Cresson | 1991–1992 |
| Georgia | Queen Tamara | 1184–1212 |
| Germany | Chancellor Angela Merkel | 2005– |
| Ghana | Queen Mother Yaa Asantewa | 1863–1923 |
| Great Britain | Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni | c. 26–61 |
| Great Britain | Queen Jane (Lady Jane Grey) | 1553 (9 days) |
| Great Britain | Queen Mary I | 1553–1558 |
| Great Britain | Queen Elizabeth I | 1558–1603 |
| Great Britain | Queen Mary II (joint ruler) | 1689–1702 |
| Great Britain | Queen Anne | 1702–1714 |
| Great Britain | Queen Victoria | 1837–1901 |
| Great Britain | Queen Elizabeth II | 1952–present |
| Great Britain | Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher | 1979–1990 |
| Great Britain | Prime Minister Theresa May | 2016– |
| Grenada | Governor Dame Hilda Louisa Bynoe | 1967–1972 |
| Grenada | Governor Dame Cecile La Grenade | 2013– |
| Guyana | Prime Minister Janet Jagan | 1997 |
| Guyana | President Janet Jagan | 1997–1999 |
| Haiti | Provisional President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot | 1990, 1991 |
| Haiti | Prime Minister Claudette Werleigh | 1995–1996 |
| Hawaii | Queen Liliuokalani | 1891–1893 |
| Hungary | Queen Mary | 1382–1387 |
| Hungary | Queen Elizabeth | 1439–1440 |
| Hungary | Queen Maria Theresa | 1740–1780 |
| Iceland | President Vigdis Finnbogadóttir | 1980–1996 |
| Iceland | Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir | 2009–2013 |
| India | Prime Minister Indira Gandhi | 1966–1977, 1980–1984 |
| India | President Pratibha Patil | 2007–2012 |
| Indonesia | President Megawati Sukarnoputri | 2001–2004 |
| Ireland | President Mary Robinson | 1990–1997 |
| Ireland | President Mary McAleese | 1997–2011 |
| Israel and Judah | Queen Athaliah | 842–837 B.C. |
| Israel | Prime Minister Golda Meir | 1969–1974 |
| Italy | Queen Theodelinda | 590 |
| Italy | Queen Joanna I of Naples | 1343–1381 |
| Italy | Queen Maria of Sicily | 1377–1402 |
| Italy | Queen Joanna II of Naples | 1414–1435 |
| Jamaica | Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller | 2006–2007, 2012– |
| Japan | Empress Suiko Tenno | 593–628 |
| Japan | Empress Kogyoku | 642–645 |
| Japan | Empress Jito | 686–697 |
| Japan | Empress Gemmyo | 703–724 |
| Japan | Empress Koken (abdicated) | 749–758 |
| Japan | Empress Shotuku-Koken | 764–770 |
| Japan | Empress Toshi-ko | 1762–1771 |
| Kosovo | President Atifete Jahjaga | 2011– |
| Krgyzstan | President Roza Otunbayeva | 2010–2011 |
| Latvia | President Vaira Vike-Freiberga | 2014– |
| Latvia | Laimdota Straujuma | 1999–2007 |
| Lesotho | Paramount Chief 'Mantsebo Amelia 'Matsaba Sempe | 1941–1960 |
| Liberia | President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf | 2006– |
| Lithuania | Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskiene | 1990–1991 |
| Lithuania | President Dalia Grybauskaité | 2009– |
| Luxembourg | Grand Duchess Marie Anne de Bragance (regent) | 1908–1912 |
| Luxembourg | Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde | 1912–1919 |
| Luxembourg | Grand Duchess Charlotte | 1919–1964 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona I | 1828–1861 |
| Madagascar | Queen Rasoaherina | 1863–1868 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona II | 1868–1883 |
| Madagascar | Queen Ranavalona III (deposed) | 1883–1897 |
| Malawi | President Joyce Banda | 2012–2014 |
| Maldives | Sultan Amina Rani Kilagefanu | 1757–1759 |
| Malta | President Agatha Barbara | 1982–1987 |
| Malta | President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | 2014– |
| Micronesia | High Commissioner of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Janet J. McCoy | 1981–1986 |
| Monaco | Princess Louise-Hippolyte | 1731 |
| Netherlands | Queen Wilhelmina (abdicated) | 1890–1948 |
| Netherlands | Queen Juliana | 1948–1980 |
| Netherlands | Queen Beatrix | 1980–present |
| Netherlands Antilles | Prime Minister Lucinda da Costa Gomez-Matheeuws | 1977 |
| Netherlands Antilles | Prime Minister Maria Liberia-Peters | 1984–1986, 1988–1993 |
| Netherlands Antilles | Prime Minister Susanne Camelia-Romer | 1993, 1998–1999 |
| Netherlands Antilles | Prime Minister Mirna Louisa-Godett | 2003–2004 |
| New Caledonia | President Marie-Noëlle Thémereau | 2004–2009 |
| New Zealand | Governor-general Dame Catherine Tizard | 1990–1996 |
| New Zealand | Governor-general Dame Silvia Cartwright | 2001–2006 |
| New Zealand | Prime Minister Jenny Shipley | 1997–1999 |
| New Zealand | Prime Minister Helen Clark | 1999–2008 |
| New Zealand (Maori community) | Queen Te Ata-i Rangi-Kahu Koroki Te Rata Mahuta Tawhiao Potatau Te Wherowhero | 1966–2006 |
| Nicaragua | President Violeta Barriosde Chamorro | 1990–1997 |
| Nigeria | Queen Amina of Zaria | 1588-1589 |
| Norway | Queen Margaret | 1387–1412 |
| Norway | Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtlandt | 1981, 1986–1989, 1990–1996 |
| Norway | Prime Minister Erna Solberg | 2013– |
| Pakistan | Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto | 1988–1990, 1993–1996 |
| Panama | President Mireya Moscoso | 1999–2004 |
| Peru | Prime Minister Beatriz Merino | 2003 (6 months) |
| Peru | Ana Rosario Jara Velásquez | 2014– |
| Philippines | President Maria Corazon Aquino | 1986–1992 |
| Philippines | President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo | 2001–2010 |
| Poland | Queen Hedwige | 1384–1399 |
| Poland | Premier Hanna Suchocka | 1992–1993 |
| Poland | Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz | 2014– |
| Portugal | Queen Maria I | 1777–1816 |
| Portugal | Queen Maria II | 1826–1828, 1834–1853 |
| Portugal | Prime Minister Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo | 1979 (149 days) |
| Roman Empire | Empress Irene | 797–802 |
| Russia | Empress Catherine I | 1725–1727 |
| Russia | Empress Anna Ivanovna | 1730–1740 |
| Russia | Empress Elizabeth Petrovna | 1741–1762 |
| Russia | Empress Catherine II (The Great) | 1762–1796 |
| Rwanda | Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana | 1993–1994 |
| San Marino | Capitano Reggente Denise Bronzetti | 2012–2013 |
| St. Lucia | Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy | 1997– |
| São Tomé and PrÃncipe | Prime Minister Maria das Neves | 2002–2004 |
| São Tomé and PrÃncipe | Prime Minister Maria do Carmo Silveira | 2005–2008 |
| Scotland | Queen Mary Stuart (executed) | 1542–1567 |
| Scotland | First Minister Nicola Sturgeon | 2014– |
| Seminole Nation | Betty Mae Jumper | 1960–1969 |
| Senegal | Mame Madior Boye | 2001–2002 |
| Senegal | Aminata Touré | 2013–2014 |
| Sheba | Queen Makeda | 960 B.C. |
| Sint Maarten | Prime Minister Sarah Wescott-Williams | 2010– |
| Slovakia | Prime Minister Iveta Radicova | 2010–2012 |
| Slovenia | Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek | 2013–2014 |
| South Africa | Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma | 2012– |
| South Korea | President Park Geun-hye | 2013– |
| Spain | Queen Dona Urraca | 1109–1126 |
| Spain | Queen Juana I | 1274–1307 |
| Spain | Queen Juana II | 1328–1349 |
| Spain | Queen Dona Blanca | 1425–1441 |
| Spain | Queen Isabella I (joint ruler) | 1474–1504 |
| Spain | Queen Catalina de Albret | 1481–1512 |
| Spain | Queen Isabella II | 1833–1868 |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Anula | 47–42 B.C. |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Sivali | 35 B.C. |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Lilavati | 1197–1200, 1209–1212 |
| Sri Lanka | Queen Kalyanavati | 1202–1208 |
| Sri Lanka | Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike | 1960–1965, 1970–1977, 1994–2000 |
| Sri Lanka | President Chandrika Kumaratunga | 1994–2005 |
| Sudan | Amanirenas, Queen of Cush | late 1st century B.C. |
| Sweden | Queen Christina (abdicated) | 1632–1654 |
| Sweden | Queen Ulrica Eleonora (abdicated) | 1718–1720 |
| Switzerland | President Ruth Dreifuss | 1999 |
| Switzerland | President Eveline Widmer-Sclumpf | 2012 |
| Switzerland | President Simonetta Sommaruga | 2015– |
| Thailand | Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra | 2011–2014 |
| Tonga | Chief Tupoumahe'ofo | 17?–1793 |
| Tonga | Queen Salote Tubou III | 1918–1965 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar | 2010– |
| Turkey | Prime Minister Tansu Çiller | 1993–1996 |
| Ukraine | Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko | 2005 |
| Wallis | Ruler Toifale | 1825 |
| Wallis | Ruler Falakika Seilala Lavelua | 1858–1869 |
| Wallis | Ruler Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki Lavelua | 1869–1895 |
| Wallis | Ruler Aloisia Lavelua | 1953–1958 |
| Yugoslavia | Premier Milka Planinc | 1982–1986 |
| Zululand | Queen Nandi | 1778–1826 |
| Political Statistics |
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