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List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This map shows countries where women are currently the main leaders (heads of state or government). It includes governors-general, but not queens.
This map shows all the countries that have ever had a woman as their main leader since they became independent.
     Female head of government

     Female head of state      Female head of state/government (combined)      Female head of state and female head of government      Female prime minister/state counselor acting as deputy to the combined head of state and government (de facto leader)

This article is about amazing women who have led their countries! It lists women who became the head of state or head of government in their countries. A head of state is like the main symbol of a country. A head of government is in charge of running the country's daily business. Sometimes, one person does both jobs! This list includes presidents and prime ministers, but not queens who inherited their positions.

Khertek Anchimaa from the Tuvan People's Republic was the first woman to be a country's leader. She became the chairwoman of her country's main council in 1940. This was a very early example of a woman leading a nation.

The first woman to be chosen as a prime minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). She led her political party to win the election in July 1960.

Isabel Perón of Argentina was the first woman to become a president. She was the vice president and took over as president in July 1974 after the previous president passed away.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland was the first woman to be elected president by the people. She won the election in 1980 and stayed in office for 16 years. This makes her the longest-serving female head of state who wasn't born into the role.

Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was the first woman to be democratically elected as prime minister in a country where most people are Muslim. She won elections in 1988 and 1993. She was also one of the few female leaders who had a baby while in office, like Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.

The woman who has served the longest as a head of government is Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. She was prime minister from June 1996 to July 2001, and again from January 2009 until August 2024. That's more than 20 years in total!

Right now, in countries like Barbados, Iceland, and Trinidad and Tobago, both the main leader (head of state) and the person running the government (head of government) are women. In other countries, such as Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Namibia, Peru, Suriname, and Tanzania, the female President does both jobs.

Elected or appointed female chief executives

This list shows women who have been chosen as leaders, either by being elected by the people or appointed by a special committee or parliament. It does not include queens who inherited their power. Leaders who served for a short, temporary time are shown in italics.      Incumbent

Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate
end
Term length Head of state
or government
Executive
or non-executive
Khertek Anchimaa
No image.svg
 Tannu Tuva Chairwoman of the Presidium
of the Little Khural
6 April 1940 11 October 1944 4 years, 188 days Head of state
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon 1960 (cropped).PNG
 Ceylon/
 Sri Lanka
Prime Minister 21 July 1960 27 March 1965 4 years, 249 days Head of government Executive
29 May 1970 23 July 1977 7 years, 55 days
Indira Gandhi
IndiraGandhi.png
 India Prime Minister 24 January 1966 24 April 1977 11 years, 90 days Head of government Executive
15 January 1980 31 October 1984
(assassinated)
4 years, 290 days
Golda Meir
Golda Meir 03265u.jpg
 Israel Prime Minister 17 March 1969 3 June 1974 5 years, 78 days Head of government Executive
Isabel Perón
María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón.jpg
 Argentina President 1 July 1974 24 March 1976 1 year, 267 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Elisabeth Domitien
Elisabeth Domitien.jpg
 Central African Republic Prime Minister 2 January 1975 7 April 1976 1 year, 96 days Head of government
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
 United Kingdom Prime Minister 4 May 1979 28 November 1990 11 years, 208 days Head of government Executive
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo 1986 (cropped).jpg
 Portugal Prime Minister 1 August 1979 3 January 1980 155 days Head of government Executive
Lidia Gueiler Tejada
Lidia Gueiler Tejada.png
 Bolivia President 16 November 1979 17 July 1980 244 days Head of state Executive
Eugenia Charles
Eugenia Charles.jpg
 Dominica Prime Minister 21 July 1980 14 June 1995 14 years, 328 days Head of government Executive
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Vigdis Finnbogadottir (1985).jpg
 Iceland President 1 August 1980 1 August 1996 16 years, 0 days Head of state
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland (cropped).jpg
 Norway Prime Minister 4 February 1981 14 October 1981 252 days Head of government Executive
9 May 1986 16 October 1989 3 years, 160 days
3 November 1990 25 October 1996 5 years, 357 days
Soong Ching-ling
Soong Ching-ling 1937.jpg
 China Honorary President 16 May 1981 28 May 1981 12 days Head of state
Agatha Barbara
Agatha Barbara.jpg
 Malta President 15 February 1982 15 February 1987 5 years Head of state
Milka Planinc
Milka Planinc.jpg
 Yugoslavia Prime Minister 16 May 1982 15 May 1986 3 years, 364 days Head of government Executive
Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino 1986.jpg
 Philippines President 25 February 1986 30 June 1992 6 years, 126 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Stella Sigcau
No image.svg
 Transkei Prime Minister 5 October 1987 30 December 1987 86 days Head of government Executive
Benazir Bhutto
Oliver Mark - Benazir Bhutto, Dubai 2006 (cropped).jpg
 Pakistan Prime Minister 2 December 1988 6 July 1990 1 year, 216 days Head of government Executive
19 October 1993 5 November 1996 3 years, 17 days
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot on January 7, 1991.png
 Haiti President 13 March 1990 7 February 1991 331 days Head of state
Kazimira Prunskienė
Kazimiera Prunskiene1.2008-05-23.jpg
 Lithuania Prime Minister 11 March 1990 10 January 1991 299 days Head of government Executive
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl.jpg
 East Germany President of the People's Chamber 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 180 days Head of state
Violeta Chamorro
Violeta Chamorro 1993.jpg
 Nicaragua President 25 April 1990 10 January 1997 6 years, 260 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson (2014).jpg
 Ireland President 3 December 1990 12 September 1997 6 years, 283 days Head of state
Khaleda Zia
Begum Zia Book-opening Ceremony, 1 Mar, 2010.jpg
 Bangladesh Prime Minister 20 March 1991 30 March 1996 5 years, 10 days Head of government Executive
10 October 2001 29 October 2006 5 years, 19 days
Édith Cresson
Édith Cresson, Member of the EC (1997) (cropped).jpg
 France Prime Minister 15 May 1991 2 April 1992 323 days Head of government
Hanna Suchocka
Hanna Suchocka, Prime Minister of Poland 1992-1993.jpg
 Poland Prime Minister 11 July 1992 25 October 1993 1 year, 106 days Head of government
Tansu Çiller
Turkish prime minister Tansu Çiller in Brussels.jpg
 Turkey Prime Minister 13 June 1993 6 March 1996 2 years, 267 days Head of government
Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell.jpg
 Canada Prime Minister 25 June 1993 4 November 1993 132 days Head of government Executive
Sylvie Kinigi
Sylvie Kinigi at Bujumbura airport, 1993.jpg
 Burundi Prime Minister 10 July 1993 7 February 1994 109 days Head of government
Agathe Uwilingiyimana
No image.svg
 Rwanda Prime Minister 18 July 1993 7 April 1994
(assassinated)
263 days Head of government
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga with PM Modi (cropped).jpg
 Sri Lanka President 12 November 1994 19 November 2005 11 years, 7 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Claudette Werleigh
No image.svg
 Haiti Prime Minister 7 November 1995 27 February 1996 112 days Head of government
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina - 2009.jpg
 Bangladesh Prime Minister 23 June 1996 15 July 2001 5 years, 22 days Head of government Executive
6 January 2009 5 August 2024 15 years, 212 days
Ruth Perry
No image.svg
 Liberia Chairwoman of the Council of State 3 September 1996 2 August 1997 333 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Rosalía Arteaga
Conversatorio Mujeres en Negociaciones Internacionales (46589651644) (cropped).jpg
 Ecuador President 9 February 1997 11 February 1997 2 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese.jpg
 Ireland President 11 November 1997 11 November 2011 14 years, 0 days Head of state
Jenny Shipley
Jenny Shipley 2013 (crop).jpg
 New Zealand Prime Minister 8 December 1997 10 December 1999 2 years, 2 days Head of government Executive
Janet Jagan
Janet Jagan.png
 Guyana President 19 December 1997 11 August 1999 1 year, 235 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Vaira Vike-Freiberga 13062007.JPG
 Latvia President 8 July 1999 8 July 2007 8 years, 0 days Head of state
Mireya Moscoso
Mireya Moscoso.jpg
 Panama President 1 September 1999 1 September 2004 5 years Head of state
and government
Executive
Helen Clark
Helen Clark official photo (cropped).jpg
 New Zealand Prime Minister 10 December 1999 19 November 2008 8 years, 350 days Head of government Executive
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen 1c389 8827-2.jpg
 Finland President 1 March 2000 1 March 2012 12 years, 0 days Head of state
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President Arroyo (06-14-2006) (cropped).jpg
 Philippines President 20 January 2001 30 June 2010 9 years, 161 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Mame Madior Boye
No image.svg
 Senegal Prime Minister 3 March 2001 4 November 2002 1 year, 246 days Head of government Executive
Megawati Sukarnoputri
Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri - Indonesia (3x4 cropped).jpg
 Indonesia President 23 July 2001 20 October 2004 3 years, 89 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Maria das Neves
Maria das Neves (cropped).jpg
 São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister 3 October 2002 18 September 2004 1 year, 351 days Head of government
Anneli Jäätteenmäki
Jäätteenmäki Anneli 2014-02-06 1.jpg
 Finland Prime Minister 17 April 2003 24 June 2003 68 days Head of government Executive
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko 2011.jpg
 Ukraine Prime Minister 24 January 2005 6 September 2005 225 days Head of government Executive
18 December 2007 3 March 2010 2 years, 75 days
Maria do Carmo Silveira
Reunião da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa 03 (cropped).jpg
 São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister 8 June 2005 21 April 2006 317 days Head of government
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel (2008)-2.jpg
 Germany Chancellor 22 November 2005 8 December 2021 16 years, 16 days Head of government Executive
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf February 2015.jpg
 Liberia President 16 January 2006 22 January 2018 12 years, 6 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Michelle Bachelet
Portrait Michelle Bachelet.jpg
 Chile President 11 March 2006 11 March 2010 4 years Head of state
and government
Executive
11 March 2014 11 March 2018 4 years
Portia Simpson-Miller
Portia Miller Shoot.Jpeg
 Jamaica Prime Minister 30 March 2006 11 September 2007 1 year, 165 days Head of government Executive
5 January 2012 3 March 2016 4 years, 58 days
Pratibha Devisingh Patil
The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.jpg
 India President 25 July 2007 25 July 2012 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristinakirchnermensaje2010.jpg
 Argentina President 10 December 2007 10 December 2015 8 years Head of state
and government
Executive
Zinaida Greceanîi
Zinaida Greceanîi.jpg
 Moldova Prime Minister 31 March 2008 14 September 2009 1 year, 167 days Head of government Executive
Michèle Pierre-Louis
Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis of Haiti - 2009 (cropped).JPG
 Haiti Prime Minister 5 September 2008 11 November 2009 1 year, 67 days Head of government
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Jan 2011 (cropped).jpg
 Iceland Prime Minister 1 February 2009 23 May 2013 4 years, 111 days Head of government Executive
Jadranka Kosor
Jadranka Kosor 26052011 crop.jpg
 Croatia Prime Minister 6 July 2009 23 December 2011 2 years, 170 days Head of government Executive
Dalia Grybauskaitė
Dalia Grybauskaitė.jpg
 Lithuania President 12 July 2009 12 July 2019 10 years, 0 days Head of state
Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Otunbayeva - Kyrgyzstan - 2011 International Women of Courage awards.jpg
 Kyrgyzstan President 7 April 2010 1 December 2011 1 year, 238 days Head of state
Laura Chinchilla
Laura Chinchilla Miranda with Hillary Rodham Clinton (cropped).jpg
 Costa Rica President 8 May 2010 8 May 2014 4 years, 0 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Mari Kiviniemi
Mari Kiviniemi 2010-11-02 (2).jpg
 Finland Prime Minister 22 June 2010 22 June 2011 1 year, 0 days Head of government Executive
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard 2010.jpg
 Australia Prime Minister 24 June 2010 27 June 2013 3 years, 3 days Head of government Executive
Iveta Radičová
Iveta Radičová (jan. 2012).jpg
 Slovakia Prime Minister 8 July 2010 4 April 2012 1 year, 271 days Head of government Executive
Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff - foto oficial 2011-01-09.jpg
 Brazil President 1 January 2011 31 August 2016
Suspended 12 May 2016
5 years, 243 days
5 years, 139 days
Head of state
and government
Executive
Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé
No image.svg
 Mali Prime Minister 3 April 2011 22 March 2012 354 days Head of government
Atifete Jahjaga
Atifete Jahjaga 2011.jpg
 Kosovo President 7 April 2011 7 April 2016 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Yingluck Shinawatra
9153ri-Yingluck Shinawatra.jpg
 Thailand Prime Minister 5 August 2011 7 May 2014 2 years, 275 days Head of government Executive
Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Helle Thorning-Schmidt portrait.jpg
 Denmark Prime Minister 3 October 2011 28 June 2015 3 years, 268 days Head of government Executive
Joyce Banda
Joyce Banda 2013-03-28.jpg
 Malawi President 7 April 2012 31 May 2014 2 years, 54 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Park Geun-hye
Park Geun-hye presidential portrait.png
 South Korea President 25 February 2013 10 March 2017
Suspended 9 December 2016
4 years, 13 days
3 years, 288 days
Head of state
and government
Executive
Alenka Bratušek
Alenka Bratušek 2013-06-10.jpg
 Slovenia Prime Minister 20 March 2013 18 September 2014 1 year, 182 days Head of government Executive
Tatiana Turanskaya
Татьяна Туранская.jpg
 Transnistria Prime Minister 10 June 2013 13 October 2015 2 years, 125 days Head of government Executive
30 November 2015 2 December 2015 2 days
Sibel Siber
Sibel Siber (cropped).jpg
 Northern Cyprus Prime Minister 13 June 2013 2 September 2013 81 days Head of government Executive
Aminata Touré
Aminata Touré (cropped).jpg
 Senegal Prime Minister 1 September 2013 8 July 2014 310 days Head of government Executive
Erna Solberg
Erna Solberg (Red carpet) - Global Citizen Festival Hamburg 04.jpg
 Norway Prime Minister 16 October 2013 14 October 2021 7 years, 363 days Head of government Executive
Laimdota Straujuma
Laimdota Straujuma in Oct, 2014.jpg
 Latvia Prime Minister 22 January 2014 11 February 2016 2 years, 20 days Head of government Executive
Catherine Samba-Panza
Catherine Samba-Panza 2014-09-26.jpg
 Central African Republic President 23 January 2014 30 March 2016 2 years, 67 days Head of state Executive
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.jpg
 Malta President 4 April 2014 4 April 2019 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Ewa Kopacz
Ewa Kopacz - Konwencja PO (cropped).jpg
 Poland Prime Minister 22 September 2014 16 November 2015 1 year, 55 days Head of government
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (cropped).jpg
 Croatia President 19 February 2015 18 February 2020 4 years, 364 days Head of state
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim.jpg
 Mauritius President 5 June 2015 23 March 2018 2 years, 291 days Head of state
Bidya Devi Bhandari
Shinzo Abe and Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1) cropped.jpg
 Nepal President 29 October 2015 13 March 2023 7 years, 135 days Head of state
Beata Szydło
Premier RP Beata Szydło w Parlamencie UE.jpg
 Poland Prime Minister 16 November 2015 11 December 2017 2 years, 25 days Head of government Executive
Hilda Heine
Hilda Heine 20171030.jpg
 Marshall Islands President 28 January 2016 14 January 2020 3 years, 351 days Head of state
and government
Executive
3 January 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 205 days
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
 Myanmar State Counsellor 6 April 2016 1 February 2021 4 years, 301 days De facto head
of government
De facto Executive
Tsai Ing-wen
蔡英文官方元首肖像照.png
 Taiwan President 20 May 2016 20 May 2024 8 years, 0 days Head of state Executive
Theresa May
Theresa May (2016) (cropped).jpg
 United Kingdom Prime Minister 13 July 2016 24 July 2019 3 years, 11 days Head of government Executive
Kersti Kaljulaid
Kersti Kaljulaid - 2018.jpg
 Estonia President 10 October 2016 11 October 2021 5 years, 1 day Head of state
Ana Brnabić
Ana Brnabic, July 3, 2018.jpg
 Serbia Prime Minister 29 June 2017 20 March 2024 6 years, 265 days Head of government Executive
Halimah Yacob
Halimah Yacob at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
 Singapore President 14 September 2017 14 September 2023 6 years, 0 days Head of state
Jacinda Ardern
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2018.jpg
 New Zealand Prime Minister 26 October 2017 25 January 2023 5 years, 91 days Head of government Executive
Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Katrín Jakobsdóttir (24539871465) (cropped).jpg
 Iceland Prime Minister 30 November 2017 9 April 2024 6 years, 131 days Head of government Executive
Viorica Dăncilă
Viorica Dăncilă June 2019.jpg
 Romania Prime Minister 29 January 2018 4 November 2019 1 year, 279 days Head of government Executive
Paula-Mae Weekes
Paula-Mae Weekes 2019.jpg
 Trinidad and Tobago President 19 March 2018 20 March 2023 5 years, 1 day Head of state
Mia Mottley
Mia Mottley (2021) (cropped).jpg
 Barbados Prime Minister 25 May 2018 Incumbent 7 years, 63 days Head of government Executive
Sahle-Work Zewde
Sahle-Work Zewde in 2016.jpg
 Ethiopia President 25 October 2018 7 October 2024 5 years, 348 days Head of state
Salome Zourabichvili
Victory Day - Europe Day 2020 Address Photo of Salome Zourabichvili (cropped) 2.jpg
 Georgia President 16 December 2018 Disputed 6 years, 13 days Head of state
Brigitte Bierlein
Europaforum Wachau-2019 1188 (cropped).JPG
 Austria Chancellor 3 June 2019 7 January 2020 218 days Head of government Executive
Maia Sandu
Sergio Mattarella e Maia Sandu al Quirinale 2021 (8) (cropped).jpg
 Moldova Prime Minister 8 June 2019 14 November 2019 159 days Head of government Executive
President 24 December 2020 Incumbent 4 years, 215 days Head of state
Zuzana Čaputová
Зузана Чапутова (02-11-2021).jpg
 Slovakia President 15 June 2019 15 June 2024 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Mette Frederiksen
Mette Frederiksen Kööpenhaminassa 4.5.2022 (52049397038) (cropped).jpg
 Denmark Prime Minister 27 June 2019 Incumbent 6 years, 30 days Head of government Executive
Sophie Wilmès
Sophie Wilmès 2020 (cropped).jpg
 Belgium Prime Minister 27 October 2019 1 October 2020 340 days Head of government Executive
Jeanine Áñez
Jeanine Áñez at the 314th Anniversary of Reyes. 6 January 2020, Ministry of Communication, Reyes. Cropped (51907629988).jpg
 Bolivia President 12 November 2019 8 November 2020 362 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Sanna Marin
Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin 2019 (cropped).jpg
 Finland Prime Minister 10 December 2019 20 June 2023 3 years, 192 days Head of government Executive
Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Katerina Sakellaropoulou, October 2022 (cropped).jpg
 Greece President 13 March 2020 13 March 2025 5 years, 0 days Head of state
Rose Christiane Raponda
Rose Raponda 2015.png
 Gabon Prime Minister 16 July 2020 9 January 2023 2 years, 177 days Head of government
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé
Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé - P060895-274846.jpg
 Togo Prime Minister 28 September 2020 3 May 2025 4 years, 217 days Head of government Executive
Ingrida Šimonytė
Ingrida Simonyte 2019 crop 2.jpg
 Lithuania Prime Minister 11 December 2020 12 December 2024 4 years, 1 day Head of government Executive
Kaja Kallas
Kaja Kallas (crop).jpg
 Estonia Prime Minister 26 January 2021 23 July 2024 3 years, 179 days Head of government Executive
Samia Suluhu Hassan
International leaders sign joint statement at COP26 (51649202102) (Suluhu crop).jpg
 Tanzania President 19 March 2021 Incumbent 4 years, 130 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Vjosa Osmani
Vjosa Osmani1.jpg
 Kosovo President 4 April 2021 Incumbent 4 years, 114 days Head of state
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa 2 June 2022.jpg
 Samoa Prime Minister 24 May 2021 Incumbent 4 years, 64 days Head of government Executive
Natalia Gavrilița
Secretary Blinken Meets with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita (52227531626) (cropped).jpg
 Moldova Prime Minister 6 August 2021 16 February 2023 1 year, 194 days Head of government Executive
Najla Bouden
الرئيس تبون يستقبل رئيسة الحكومة التونسية 0-24 screenshot (cropped).png
 Tunisia Prime Minister 11 October 2021 2 August 2023 1 year, 295 days Head of government Executive
Sandra Mason
Sandra of Barbados.jpg
 Barbados President 30 November 2021 Incumbent 3 years, 239 days Head of state
Magdalena Andersson
Magdalena Andersson 2017 (cropped).jpg
 Sweden Prime Minister 30 November 2021 18 October 2022 322 days Head of government Executive
Xiomara Castro
Xiomara Castro 2023.jpg
 Honduras President 27 January 2022 Incumbent 3 years, 181 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Katalin Novák
20 06 2022 Cerimônia Oficial de chegada da Excelentíssima Senhora Katalin Novák, Presidente da Hungria (52209559483) (cropped).jpg
 Hungary President 10 May 2022 26 February 2024 1 year, 292 days Head of state
Élisabeth Borne
Elisabeth Borne November 2022 close-up.jpg
 France Prime Minister 16 May 2022 9 January 2024 1 year, 238 days Head of government
Droupadi Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu official portrait higher version.jpg
 India President 25 July 2022 Incumbent 3 years, 2 days Head of state
Liz Truss
Liz Truss announces her resignation (cropped) (cropped).jpg
 United Kingdom Prime Minister 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 49 days Head of government Executive
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni Official 2023 crop.jpg
 Italy Prime Minister 22 October 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 278 days Head of government Executive
Dina Boluarte
Presidenta Boluarte 2024.jpg
 Peru President 7 December 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 232 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Nataša Pirc Musar
Nataša Pirc Musar (2023-05-19).jpg
 Slovenia President 23 December 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 216 days Head of state
Borjana Krišto
Borjana Krišto (2025-06-11).jpg
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers 25 January 2023 Incumbent 2 years, 183 days Head of government
Christine Kangaloo
The Hon Christine Kangaloo.jpg
 Trinidad and Tobago President 20 March 2023 Incumbent 2 years, 129 days Head of state
Evika Siliņa
Evika Siliņa (2023-09-15, cropped).jpg
 Latvia Prime Minister 15 September 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 315 days Head of government Executive
Sylvanie Burton
No image.svg
 Dominica President 2 October 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 298 days Head of state
Myriam Spiteri Debono
Myriam Spiteri Debono on April 20, 2024 (cropped).jpg
 Malta President 4 April 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 114 days Head of state
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
MK presidential office handover 2024 - Cropped.jpg
 North Macedonia President 12 May 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 76 days Head of state
Judith Suminwa
TULUKA 2023 (profile).jpg
 Congo, Democratic Republic of the Prime Minister 12 June 2024 Incumbent 1 year, 45 days Head of government
Halla Tómasdóttir
Halla Tómasdóttir at Arctic Circle 2024 cropped.jpg
 Iceland President 1 August 2024 Incumbent 360 days Head of state
Paetongtarn Shinawatra
PM Paetongtarn of Thailand (2024) 01 (cropped) (cropped).jpg
 Thailand Prime Minister 16 August 2024 Incumbent
Suspended 1 July 2025
345 days
319 days
Head of government Executive
Claudia Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum Feb. 2025 (2).jpg
 Mexico President 1 October 2024 Incumbent 299 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Kristrún Frostadóttir
Kristrún Frostadóttir 2021.jpg
 Iceland Prime Minister 21 December 2024 Incumbent 218 days Head of government Executive
Ilza Amado Vaz
Ilza Amado Vaz (14-01-2025).jpg
 São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister 9 January 2025 12 January 2025 3 days Head of government
Raffaella Petrini
No image.svg
 Vatican City President 1 March 2025 Incumbent 148 days Head of government
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah(cropped).jpg
 Namibia President 21 March 2025 Incumbent 128 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Sara Zaafarani
No image.svg
 Tunisia Prime Minister 21 March 2025 Incumbent 128 days Head of government
Brigitte Haas
Brigitte Haas 2025 (cropped).jpg
 Liechtenstein Prime Minister 10 April 2025 Incumbent 108 days Head of government
Jennifer Geerlings-Simons
Jennifer Simons in 2015.jpg
 Suriname President 16 July 2025 Incumbent 11 days Head of state
and government
Executive
Yulia Svyrydenko
Yulia Svyrydenko - 2023 (cropped).jpg
 Ukraine Prime Minister 17 July 2025 Incumbent 10 days Head of government

Elected or appointed acting female chief executives

This list includes women who took on leadership roles temporarily, often when the main leader's position was empty for a short time.

     Incumbent

Name Portrait Country Office Mandate start Mandate end Term length Head of state
or government
Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa
YanjmaaSükhbaataryn.jpg
 Mongolia Acting Chairman of the Presidium
of the State Great Khural
7 September 1953 7 July 1954 303 days Head of state
Soong Ching-ling
Soong Ching-ling 1937.jpg
 China Acting Co-Chairperson 31 October 1968 24 April 1972 3 years, 176 days Head of state
Acting Chairperson 6 July 1976 5 March 1978 1 year, 242 days
Carmen Pereira
No image.svg
 Guinea-Bissau Acting President 14 May 1984 16 May 1984 2 days Head of state
Sylvie Kinigi
Sylvie Kinigi at Bujumbura airport, 1993.jpg
 Burundi Acting President 27 October 1993 5 February 1994 101 days Head of state
Reneta Indzhova
Reneta Indzhova 2020 (cropped).png
 Bulgaria Acting Prime Minister 17 October 1994 25 January 1995 100 days Head of government
Irena Degutienė
Ministru prezidents tiekas ar Lietuvas Seima priekšsēdētāju (4367873226).jpg
 Lithuania Acting Prime Minister 4 May 1999 18 May 1999 14 days Head of government
27 October 1999 3 November 1999 7 days
Nyam-Osoryn Tuyaa
No image.svg
 Mongolia Acting Prime Minister 22 July 1999 30 July 1999 8 days Head of government
Nino Burjanadze
Nino Burjanadze (Tbilisi, December 5, 2003).jpg
 Georgia Acting President 23 November 2003 25 January 2004 63 days Head of state
 Georgia 25 November 2007 20 January 2008 56 days
Barbara Prammer
Mag.a. Barbara Prammer (14316641697).jpg
 Austria Co-Acting President 6 July 2004 8 July 2004 2 days Head of state
Radmila Šekerinska
Radmila Sekerinska (cropped).jpg
 Macedonia Acting Prime Minister 12 May 2004 12 June 2004 31 days Head of government
3 November 2004 15 December 2004 42 days
Dalia Itzik
Dalya Itzik 1.png
 Israel Acting President 25 January 2007 15 July 2007 171 days Head of state
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri
No image.svg
 South Africa Acting President 25 September 2005 14 hours Head of state
and government
Rose Francine Rogombé
No image.svg
 Gabon Acting President 10 June 2009 16 October 2009 128 days Head of state
Cécile Manorohanta
Président UNA.jpg
 Madagascar Acting Prime Minister 18 December 2009 20 December 2009 2 days Head of government
Adiato Djaló Nandigna
No image.svg
 Guinea-Bissau Acting Prime Minister 10 February 2012 12 April 2012 62 days Head of government
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau (cropped).jpg
 Mauritius Acting President 31 March 2012 21 July 2012 112 days Head of state
29 May 2015 5 June 2015 7 days
Slavica Đukić Dejanović
Slavica Đukić Dejanović.jpg
 Serbia Acting President 5 April 2012 31 May 2012 56 days Head of state
Julie Bishop
Portrait of Julie Bishop.jpg
 Australia Acting Prime Minister 20 December 2014 16 January 2015 27 days Deputy Prime Minister
Natalia Gherman
NataliaGherman̠Wien.jpg
 Moldova Acting Prime Minister 22 June 2015 30 July 2015 38 days Head of government
Vassiliki Thanou
Vassiliki Thanou retouched.jpg
 Greece Acting Prime Minister 27 August 2015 21 September 2015 25 days Head of government
Maya Parnas
Майя Парнас.jpg
 Transnistria Acting Prime Minister 13 October 2015 30 November 2015 48 days Head of government
2 December 2015 23 December 2015 21 days
Doris Bures
Doris Bures Eröffnung Bahnhof Sankt Pölten 2010.jpg
 Austria Co-Acting President of the National Council 8 July 2016 26 January 2017 202 days Head of state
Julie Bishop
Portrait of Julie Bishop.jpg
 Australia Acting Prime Minister 21 September 2018 23 October 2018 32 days Deputy Prime Minister
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh
Mrs. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh.jpg
 Vietnam Acting President 21 September 2018 23 October 2018 32 days Head of state
Vjosa Osmani
Vjosa Osmani1.jpg
 Kosovo Acting President 5 November 2020 22 March 2021 137 days Head of state
Maya Tskitishvili
Майя Цкитишвили (21-11-2019).jpg
 Georgia Acting Prime Minister 18 February 2021 22 February 2021 4 days Head of government
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân
Courtesy Call of Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 7 1 2022 0-18 screenshot.jpg
 Vietnam Acting President 18 January 2023 2 March 2023 43 days Head of state
21 March 2024 22 May 2024 62 days
Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara
No image.svg
 El Salvador Acting President 1 December 2023 1 June 2024 183 days Head of state
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï (Isabelle Berro), 17 April 2024 (cropped).jpg
 Monaco Acting Minister of State 10 January 2025 21 July 2025 192 days Head of government

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Jefas de Estado para niños

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List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.