World leaders in 2016
Everyone who held a state’s top posts at some point in 2016, in the order they held them. Names are from Wikipedia’s list of state leaders and appear only where the person’s Wikidata record agrees on the post and the years. What happened in 2016 →
Major powers in 2016
United StatesUnited States history
- President
- Barack Obama
United KingdomUnited Kingdom history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister
- David Cameron, then Theresa May
RussiaRussia history
- President
- Vladimir Putin
- Prime minister
- Dmitry Medvedev
ChinaChina history
- General Secretary; paramount leader
- Xi Jinping
- President
- Xi Jinping
- Premier
- Li Keqiang
FranceFrance history
- President
- François Hollande
- Prime minister
- Manuel Valls, then Bernard Cazeneuve
GermanyGermany history
- President
- Joachim Gauck
- Chancellor
- Angela Merkel
JapanJapan history
- Emperor
- Akihito
IndiaIndia history
- President
- Pranab Mukherjee
- Prime minister
- Narendra Modi
Africa
AlgeriaAlgeria history
- President
- Abdelaziz Bouteflika
- Prime Minister
- Abdelmalek Sellal
AngolaAngola history
- President
- José Eduardo dos Santos
BeninBenin history
- President
- Thomas Boni Yayi, then Patrice Talon
- Prime minister
- Lionel Zinsou
BotswanaBotswana history
- President
- Ian Khama
Burkina FasoBurkina Faso history
- President
- Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
- Prime minister
- Paul Kaba Thieba
BurundiBurundi history
- President
- Pierre Nkurunziza
CameroonCameroon history
- President
- Paul Biya
- Prime minister
- Philémon Yang
Cape VerdeCape Verde history
- President
- Jorge Carlos Fonseca
- Prime minister
- José Maria Neves, then Ulisses Correia e Silva
Central African Republic
- Transitional Head of State
- Catherine Samba-Panza
- President
- Faustin-Archange Touadéra
- Interim Prime minister
- Mahamat Kamoun
- Prime minister
- Simplice Sarandji
ChadChad history
- President
- Idriss Déby
- Prime minister
- Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet, then Albert Pahimi Padacké
Comoros
- President
- Ikililou Dhoinine, then Azali Assoumani
Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo history
- President
- Joseph Kabila
- Prime minister
- Augustin Matata Ponyo, then Samy Badibanga
DjiboutiDjibouti history
- President
- Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
- Prime minister
- Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed
EgyptEgypt history
- President
- Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
- Prime minister
- Sherif Ismail
Equatorial Guinea
- President
- Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
- Prime minister
- Vicente Ehate Tomi, then Francisco Pascual Obama Asue
EritreaEritrea history
- President
- Isaias Afwerki
EswatiniEswatini history
- King
- Mswati III
- Prime minister
- Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini
EthiopiaEthiopia history
- President
- Mulatu Teshome
- Prime minister
- Hailemariam Desalegn
Federal Republic of SomaliaSomalia history
- President
- Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
- Prime minister
- Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
GabonGabon history
- President
- Ali Bongo Ondimba
- Prime minister
- Daniel Ona Ondo, then Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet
GambiaGambia history
- President
- Yahya Jammeh
GhanaGhana history
- President
- John Dramani Mahama
GuineaGuinea history
- President
- Alpha Condé
- Prime minister
- Mamady Youla
Guinea-Bissau
- President
- José Mário Vaz
- Prime minister
- Carlos Correia, then Baciro Djá, then Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Ivory CoastIvory Coast history
- President
- Alassane Ouattara
- Prime minister
- Daniel Kablan Duncan
KenyaKenya history
- President
- Uhuru Kenyatta
LesothoLesotho history
- King
- Letsie III
- Prime minister
- Pakalitha Mosisili
LiberiaLiberia history
- President
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Madagascar: Fourth RepublicMadagascar history
- President
- Hery Rajaonarimampianina
- Prime minister
- Jean Ravelonarivo, then Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana
MalawiMalawi history
- President
- Peter Mutharika
MaliMali history
- President
- Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
- Prime minister
- Modibo Keita
MauritaniaMauritania history
- President
- Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
- Prime minister
- Yahya Ould Hademine
MauritiusMauritius history
- President
- Ameenah Gurib
- Prime minister
- Anerood Jugnauth
MoroccoMorocco history
- King
- Mohammed VI
- Prime Minister
- Abdelilah Benkirane
MozambiqueMozambique history
- President
- Filipe Nyusi
- Prime minister
- Carlos Agostinho do Rosário
NamibiaNamibia history
- President
- Hage Geingob
- Prime minister
- Saara Kuugongelwa
NigerNiger history
- President
- Mahamadou Issoufou
- Prime minister
- Brigi Rafini
NigeriaNigeria history
- President
- Muhammadu Buhari
Republic of Somaliland
- President
- Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo history
- President
- Denis Sassou Nguesso
- Prime minister
- Clément Mouamba
RwandaRwanda history
- President
- Paul Kagame
- Prime minister
- Anastase Murekezi
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
- President
- Mohamed Abdelaziz, then Brahim Ghali
- Prime Minister
- Abdelkader Taleb Omar
São Tomé and Príncipe
- President
- Manuel Pinto da Costa, then Evaristo Carvalho
- Prime minister
- Patrice Trovoada
SenegalSenegal history
- President
- Macky Sall
- Prime minister
- Mahammed Dionne
Seychelles
- President
- James Michel, then Danny Faure
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone history
- President
- Ernest Bai Koroma
South AfricaSouth Africa history
- President
- Jacob Zuma
South SudanSouth Sudan history
- President
- Salva Kiir Mayardit
State of LibyaLibya history
- Chairman
- Fayez al-Sarraj
- Prime minister in rebellion
- Abdullah al-Thani
- Prime minister
- Fayez al-Sarraj
SudanSudan history
- President
- Omar al-Bashir
TanzaniaTanzania history
- President
- John Magufuli
- Prime minister
- Kassim Majaliwa
TogoTogo history
- President
- Faure Gnassingbé
- Prime minister
- Komi Sélom Klassou
TunisiaTunisia history
- President
- Beji Caid Essebsi
- Head of government
- Habib Essid, then Youssef Chahed
Uganda
- President
- Yoweri Museveni
- Prime minister
- Ruhakana Rugunda
ZambiaZambia history
- President
- Edgar Lungu
Zimbabwe
- President
- Robert Mugabe
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Gaston Browne
ArgentinaArgentina history
- President
- Mauricio Macri
BahamasBahamas history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Perry Christie
BarbadosBarbados history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Freundel Stuart
BelizeBelize history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Dean Barrow
BoliviaBolivia history
- President
- Evo Morales
BrazilBrazil history
- President
- Dilma Rousseff, then Michel Temer
CanadaCanada history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Justin Trudeau
ChileChile history
- President
- Michelle Bachelet
ColombiaColombia history
- President
- Juan Manuel Santos Calderón
Costa RicaCosta Rica history
- President
- Luis Guillermo Solís
CubaCuba history
- President of the State Council
- Raúl Castro
- President of the Council of Ministers
- Raúl Castro
Dominica
- President
- Charles Savarin
- Prime minister
- Roosevelt Skerrit
Dominican RepublicDominican Republic history
- President
- Danilo Medina
EcuadorEcuador history
- President
- Rafael Correa
El SalvadorEl Salvador history
- President
- Salvador Sánchez Cerén
Grenada
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Keith Mitchell
GuatemalaGuatemala history
- Acting President
- Alejandro Maldonado
- President
- Jimmy Morales
GuyanaGuyana history
- President
- David A. Granger
- Prime minister
- Moses Nagamootoo
HaitiHaiti history
- President
- Michel Martelly
- Provisional President
- Jocelerme Privert
- Prime minister
- Evans Paul, then Fritz Jean, then Enex Jean-Charles
HondurasHonduras history
- President
- Juan Orlando Hernández
JamaicaJamaica history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Portia Simpson-Miller, then Andrew Holness
MexicoMexico history
- President
- Enrique Peña Nieto
NicaraguaNicaragua history
- President
- Daniel Ortega
PanamaPanama history
- President
- Juan Carlos Varela
ParaguayParaguay history
- President
- Horacio Cartes
PeruPeru history
- Constitutional President
- Ollanta Humala, then Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
- Prime Minister
- Pedro Cateriano, then Fernando Zavala
Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Timothy Harris
Saint Lucia
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Kenny Anthony, then Allen Chastanet
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
SurinameSuriname history
- President
- Dési Bouterse
Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago history
- President
- Anthony Carmona
- Prime minister
- Keith Rowley
United StatesUnited States history
- President
- Barack Obama
UruguayUruguay history
- President
- Tabaré Vázquez
Asia
Afghanistan
- President
- Ashraf Ghani
BahrainBahrain history
- Prime minister
- Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
BangladeshBangladesh history
- President
- Mohammad Abdul Hamid
- Prime minister
- Sheikh Hasina
BhutanBhutan history
- Druk Gyalpo
- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- Prime minister
- Tshering Tobgay
BruneiBrunei history
- Sultan
- Hassanal Bolkiah
CambodiaCambodia history
- King
- Norodom Sihamoni
- Prime minister
- Hun Sen
ChinaChina history
- General Secretary; paramount leader
- Xi Jinping
- President
- Xi Jinping
- Premier
- Li Keqiang
CyprusCyprus history
- President
- Nicos Anastasiades
IndiaIndia history
- President
- Pranab Mukherjee
- Prime minister
- Narendra Modi
IndonesiaIndonesia history
- President
- Joko Widodo
IranIran history
- Supreme Leader
- Ali Khamenei
- President
- Hassan Rouhani
IraqIraq history
- President
- Fuad Masum
- Prime minister
- Haider al-Abadi
IsraelIsrael history
- President
- Reuven Rivlin
- Prime minister
- Benjamin Netanyahu
JapanJapan history
- Emperor
- Akihito
JordanJordan history
- King
- Abdullah II
- Prime minister
- Abdullah Ensour, then Hani Mulki
KazakhstanKazakhstan history
- President
- Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Prime minister
- Karim Massimov, then Bakhytzhan Sagintayev
KuwaitKuwait history
- Emir
- Sabah IV
- Prime minister
- Jaber Al-Mubarak
Kyrgyzstan
- President
- Almazbek Atambayev
- Prime minister
- Temir Sariyev, then Sooronbay Jeenbekov
LaosLaos history
- General Secretary
- Choummaly Sayasone, then Bounnhang Vorachit
- President
- Choummaly Sayasone, then Bounnhang Vorachit
- Prime minister
- Thongsing Thammavong, then Thongloun Sisoulith
LebanonLebanon history
- Acting President
- Tammam Salam
- President
- Michel Aoun
- Prime minister
- Tammam Salam, then Saad Hariri
MalaysiaMalaysia history
- Yang di-Pertuan Agong
- Abdul Halim of Kedah, then Muhammad V of Kelantan
- Prime minister
- Najib Razak
Maldives
- President
- Abdulla Yameen
MongoliaMongolia history
- President
- Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
- Prime minister
- Chimediin Saikhanbileg, then Jargaltulgyn Erdenebat
NepalNepal history
- President
- Bidya Devi Bhandari
- Prime minister
- Khadga Prasad Oli, then Pushpa Kamal Dahal
North KoreaNorth Korea history
- Premier
- Pak Pong-ju
Northern Cyprus
- President
- Mustafa Akıncı
- Prime minister
- Ömer Kalyoncu, then Hüseyin Özgürgün
OmanOman history
- Sultan
- Qaboos bin Said
PakistanPakistan history
- President
- Mamnoon Hussain
- Prime minister
- Nawaz Sharif
PhilippinesPhilippines history
- President
- Benigno Aquino III, then Rodrigo Duterte
QatarQatar history
- Prime minister
- Abdullah bin Nasser
Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2011–present)Myanmar history
- President
- Thein Sein, then Htin Kyaw
- State Counsellor
- Aung San Suu Kyi
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia history
- King
- Salman
SingaporeSingapore history
- President
- Tony Tan
- Prime minister
- Lee Hsien Loong
South KoreaSouth Korea history
- President
- Park Geun-hye
- Acting President
- Hwang Kyo-ahn
- Prime minister
- Hwang Kyo-ahn
Sri LankaSri Lanka history
- President
- Maithripala Sirisena
- Prime minister
- Ranil Wickremesinghe
State of Palestine
- President
- Mahmoud Abbas
- Prime minister
- Rami Hamdallah
Syria
- President
- Bashar al-Assad
- Prime minister
- Wael Nader al-Halqi, then Imad Khamis
TaiwanTaiwan history
- President
- Ma Ying-jeou, then Tsai Ing-wen
- Premier
- Mao Chi-kuo, then Chang San-cheng, then Lin Chuan
TajikistanTajikistan history
- President
- Emomali Rahmon
- Prime minister
- Kokhir Rasulzoda
ThailandThailand history
- King
- Bhumibol Adulyadej, then Vajiralongkorn
- Prime minister
- Prayut Chan-o-cha
Timor-Leste
- President
- Taur Matan Ruak
- Prime minister
- Rui Maria de Araújo
TurkeyTurkey history
- President
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Prime minister
- Ahmet Davutoğlu, then Binali Yıldırım
Turkmenistan
- President
- Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates history
- President
- Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- Prime minister
- Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
UzbekistanUzbekistan history
- President
- Islam Karimov, then Shavkat Mirziyoyev
- Acting President
- Nigmatilla Yuldashev
- Prime minister
- Shavkat Mirziyoyev, then Abdulla Aripov
VietnamVietnam history
- General Secretary
- Nguyễn Phú Trọng
- President
- Trương Tấn Sang, then Trần Đại Quang
- Prime minister
- Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, then Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
YemenYemen history
- Prime minister
- Khaled Bahah, then Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr
Yemen: Houthi-led Supreme Political Council
- Prime minister
- Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour
Europe
Abkhazia
- President
- Raul Khajimba
- Prime minister
- Artur Mikvabia, then Beslan Bartsits
- Acting Prime minister
- Shamil Adzynba
AlbaniaAlbania history
- President
- Bujar Nishani
- Prime minister
- Edi Rama
Andorra
- Episcopal Co-Prince
- Joan Enric Vives Sicília
- French Co-Prince
- François Hollande
- Prime minister
- Antoni Martí
ArmeniaArmenia history
- President
- Serzh Sargsyan
- Prime minister
- Hovik Abrahamyan, then Karen Karapetyan
AustriaAustria history
- President
- Heinz Fischer
- Joint Acting Presidents
- Doris Bures, then Karlheinz Kopf, then Norbert Hofer
- Chancellor
- Werner Faymann, then Christian Kern
- Acting Chancellor
- Reinhold Mitterlehner
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan history
- President
- Ilham Aliyev
- Prime minister
- Artur Rasizade
BelarusBelarus history
- President
- Alexander Lukashenko
- Prime minister
- Andrei Kobyakov
BelgiumBelgium history
- King
- Philippe
- Prime minister
- Charles Michel
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina history
- High Representative
- Valentin Inzko
- Chairman
- Dragan Čović, then Denis Zvizdić, then Bakir Izetbegović, then Mladen Ivanić
- Member
- Bakir Izetbegović, then Dragan Čović, then Mladen Ivanić
BulgariaBulgaria history
- President
- Rosen Plevneliev
- Prime minister
- Boyko Borisov
CroatiaCroatia history
- President
- Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
- Prime minister
- Zoran Milanović, then Tihomir Orešković, then Andrej Plenković
Czech RepublicCzech Republic history
- President
- Miloš Zeman
- Prime Minister
- Bohuslav Sobotka
DenmarkDenmark history
- Queen
- Margrethe II
- Prime minister
- Lars Løkke Rasmussen
EstoniaEstonia history
- President
- Toomas Hendrik Ilves, then Kersti Kaljulaid
- Prime minister
- Taavi Rõivas, then Jüri Ratas
FinlandFinland history
- President
- Sauli Niinistö
- Prime minister
- Juha Sipilä
France: Fifth RepublicFrance history
- President
- François Hollande
- Prime minister
- Manuel Valls, then Bernard Cazeneuve
Georgia
- President
- Giorgi Margvelashvili
- Prime minister
- Giorgi Kvirikashvili
GermanyGermany history
- President
- Joachim Gauck
- Chancellor
- Angela Merkel
GreeceGreece history
- President
- Prokopis Pavlopoulos
- Prime minister
- Alexis Tsipras
HungaryHungary history
- President
- János Áder
- Prime minister
- Viktor Orbán
IcelandIceland history
- President
- Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, then Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
- Prime minister
- Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, then Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
ItalyItaly history
- President
- Sergio Mattarella
- Prime minister
- Matteo Renzi, then Paolo Gentiloni
LatviaLatvia history
- President
- Raimonds Vējonis
- Prime minister
- Laimdota Straujuma, then Māris Kučinskis
Liechtenstein
- Prince
- Hans-Adam II
- Prime minister
- Adrian Hasler
LithuaniaLithuania history
- President
- Dalia Grybauskaitė
- Prime minister
- Algirdas Butkevičius, then Saulius Skvernelis
LuxembourgLuxembourg history
- Grand Duke
- Henri
- Prime minister
- Xavier Bettel
MaltaMalta history
- President
- Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
- Prime minister
- Joseph Muscat
MoldovaMoldova history
- President
- Nicolae Timofti, then Igor Dodon
- Acting Prime minister
- Gheorghe Brega
- Prime minister
- Pavel Filip
Monaco
- Prince
- Albert II
- Acting Minister of state
- Gilles Tonelli
- Minister of State
- Serge Telle
MontenegroMontenegro history
- President
- Filip Vujanović
- Prime minister
- Milo Đukanović, then Duško Marković
North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia history
- President
- Gjorge Ivanov
- Prime minister
- Nikola Gruevski, then Emil Dimitriev
NorwayNorway history
- King
- Harald V
- Prime minister
- Erna Solberg
PolandPoland history
- President
- Andrzej Duda
- Prime minister
- Beata Szydło
PortugalPortugal history
- President
- Aníbal Cavaco Silva, then Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
- Prime minister
- António Costa
Republic of Artsakh
- President
- Bako Sahakyan
- President of the National Assembly
- Ashot Ghulian
Republic of Ireland
- President
- Michael D. Higgins
- Taoiseach
- Enda Kenny
Republic of KosovoKosovo history
- President
- Atifete Jahjaga, then Hashim Thaçi
- Prime minister
- Isa Mustafa
RomaniaRomania history
- President
- Klaus Iohannis
- Prime minister
- Dacian Cioloș
RussiaRussia history
- President
- Vladimir Putin
- Prime minister
- Dmitry Medvedev
San Marino
- Captains Regent
- Lorella Stefanelli, then Nicola Renzi, then Massimo Andrea Ugolini, then Gian Nicola Berti, then Marino Riccardi, then Fabio Berardi
SerbiaSerbia history
- President
- Tomislav Nikolić
- Prime minister
- Aleksandar Vučić
SlovakiaSlovakia history
- President
- Andrej Kiska
- Prime minister
- Robert Fico
SloveniaSlovenia history
- President
- Borut Pahor
- Prime minister
- Miro Cerar
South Ossetia
- President
- Leonid Tibilov
- Prime minister
- Domenty Kulumbegov
SpainSpain history
- King
- Felipe VI
- Prime minister
- Mariano Rajoy
SwedenSweden history
- King
- Carl XVI Gustaf
- Prime minister
- Stefan Löfven
SwitzerlandSwitzerland history
- President of the Confederation
- Johann Schneider-Ammann
The Netherlands
- King
- Willem-Alexander
- Prime minister
- Mark Rutte
Transnistria
- President
- Yevgeny Shevchuk, then Vadim Krasnoselsky
- Prime minister
- Pavel Prokudin, then Aleksandr Martynov
UkraineUkraine history
- President
- Petro Poroshenko
- Prime minister
- Arseniy Yatsenyuk, then Volodymyr Groysman
United KingdomUnited Kingdom history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister
- David Cameron, then Theresa May
Vatican City
- Sovereign
- Francis
- President of the Governorate
- Giuseppe Bertello
Oceania
AustraliaAustralia history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Malcolm Turnbull
Cook Islands, state in free association
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
Federated States of Micronesia
- President
- Peter M. Christian
FijiFiji history
- President
- Jioji Konrote
- Prime minister
- Frank Bainimarama
Kiribati
- President
- Anote Tong, then Taneti Mamau
Marshall Islands
- President
- Christopher Loeak, then Casten Nemra, then Hilda Heine
Nauru
- President
- Baron Waqa
New ZealandNew Zealand history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- John Key, then Bill English
Palau
- Jr., President
- Tommy Remengesau
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Peter O'Neill
SamoaSamoa history
- O le Ao o le Malo
- Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi
- Prime minister
- Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi
Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands history
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Manasseh Sogavare
TongaTonga history
- King
- Tupou VI
- Prime minister
- ʻAkilisi Pōhiva
Tuvalu
- Queen
- Elizabeth II
- Prime minister
- Enele Sopoaga
VanuatuVanuatu history
- President
- Baldwin Lonsdale
- Prime minister
- Sato Kilman, then Charlot Salwai