List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government facts for kids
This article is about women who have been important leaders in their countries. These women were either chosen by people voting or by other leaders. They have served as the main leaders of their countries since the years between 1918 and 1939.
A head of state is like the main representative of a country. They often have ceremonial duties, like greeting other world leaders. A head of government is in charge of the daily running of the government. Sometimes, one person can be both the head of state and head of government, like a President. Other times, these roles are separate, like a prime minister who is the head of government, while a different person (or even a monarch) is the head of state. This list does not include queens who inherited their position.
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)
- Three countries had a female leader in the 1900s: East Germany, Tannu Tuva and Yugoslavia.
The first woman to lead a country was Khertek Anchimaa of the Tuvan People's Republic. She became the chairwoman of her country's council in 1940. She is seen as the first woman elected to lead a country.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was the first woman to become a prime minister. She won an election in July 1960.
In July 1974, Isabel Perón became the first woman president of Argentina. She took over after her husband passed away.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland was the first woman to be elected president by popular vote. She won the election in 1980 and served for 16 years. This makes her the longest-serving non-royal female head of state ever.
Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was the first woman to be democratically elected as prime minister in a country with a majority Muslim population. She won elections in 1988 and 1993. She was also one of only two non-royal female world leaders to have a baby while in office.
Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has been a prime minister for a very long time. She served from June 1996 to July 2001, and again from January 2009 until August 2024. Her total time in office is over 20 years.
As of October 2025, Barbados, Iceland, and Trinidad and Tobago have both a female head of state and a female head of government. In Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Namibia, Suriname, and Tanzania, the female President is both the head of state and government.
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Women Leaders: Elected or Appointed Chief Executives
This list includes women who were chosen by a governing committee or parliament. These leaders are not always directly elected by citizens. The list does not include women chosen by a royal family. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khertek Anchimaa | Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Little Khural |
6 April 1940 | 11 October 1944 | 4 years, 6 months | Head of state | ||
| Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Prime Minister | 21 July 1960 | 27 March 1965 | 4 years, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| 29 May 1970 | 23 July 1977 | 7 years, 1 month | |||||
| Indira Gandhi | Prime Minister | 24 January 1966 | 24 April 1977 | 11 years, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| 15 January 1980 | 31 October 1984 (passed away while in office) |
4 years, 9 months | |||||
| Golda Meir | Prime Minister | 17 March 1969 | 3 June 1974 | 5 years, 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Isabel Perón | President | 1 July 1974 | 24 March 1976 | 1 year, 8 months | Head of state and government |
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| Elisabeth Domitien | Prime Minister | 2 January 1975 | 7 April 1976 | 1 year, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister | 4 May 1979 | 28 November 1990 | 11 years, 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo | Prime Minister | 1 August 1979 | 3 January 1980 | 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Lidia Gueiler Tejada | President | 16 November 1979 | 17 July 1980 | 8 months | Head of state | ||
| Eugenia Charles | Prime Minister | 21 July 1980 | 14 June 1995 | 14 years, 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Vigdís Finnbogadóttir | President | 1 August 1980 | 1 August 1996 | 16 years | Head of state | ||
| Gro Harlem Brundtland | Prime Minister | 4 February 1981 | 14 October 1981 | 8 months | Head of government | ||
| 9 May 1986 | 16 October 1989 | 3 years, 5 months | |||||
| 3 November 1990 | 25 October 1996 | 5 years, 11 months | |||||
| Soong Ching-ling | Honorary President | 16 May 1981 | 28 May 1981 | 12 days | Head of state | ||
| Agatha Barbara | President | 15 February 1982 | 15 February 1987 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Milka Planinc | Prime Minister | 16 May 1982 | 15 May 1986 | 3 years, 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Corazon Aquino | President | 25 February 1986 | 30 June 1992 | 6 years, 4 months | Head of state and government |
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| Stella Sigcau | Prime Minister | 5 October 1987 | 30 December 1987 | 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Benazir Bhutto | Prime Minister | 2 December 1988 | 6 July 1990 | 1 year, 7 months | Head of government | ||
| 19 October 1993 | 5 November 1996 | 3 years, 1 month | |||||
| Ertha Pascal-Trouillot | President | 13 March 1990 | 7 February 1991 | 10 months | Head of state | ||
| Kazimira Prunskienė | Prime Minister | 11 March 1990 | 10 January 1991 | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Sabine Bergmann-Pohl | President of the People's Chamber | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | 5 months | Head of state | ||
| Violeta Chamorro | President | 25 April 1990 | 10 January 1997 | 6 years, 8 months | Head of state and government |
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| Mary Robinson | President | 3 December 1990 | 12 September 1997 | 6 years, 9 months | Head of state | ||
| Khaleda Zia | Prime Minister | 20 March 1991 | 30 March 1996 | 5 years, 10 days | Head of government | ||
| 10 October 2001 | 29 October 2006 | 5 years, 19 days | |||||
| Édith Cresson | Prime Minister | 15 May 1991 | 2 April 1992 | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Hanna Suchocka | Prime Minister | 11 July 1992 | 25 October 1993 | 1 year, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Tansu Çiller | Prime Minister | 13 June 1993 | 6 March 1996 | 2 years, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| Kim Campbell | Prime Minister | 25 June 1993 | 4 November 1993 | 4 months | Head of government | ||
| Sylvie Kinigi | Prime Minister | 10 July 1993 | 7 February 1994 | 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Agathe Uwilingiyimana | Prime Minister | 18 July 1993 | 7 April 1994 (passed away while in office) |
8 months | Head of government | ||
| Chandrika Kumaratunga | President | 12 November 1994 | 19 November 2005 | 11 years, 7 days | Head of state and government |
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| Claudette Werleigh | Prime Minister | 7 November 1995 | 27 February 1996 | 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Sheikh Hasina | Prime Minister | 23 June 1996 | 15 July 2001 | 5 years, 22 days | Head of government | ||
| 6 January 2009 | 5 August 2024 | 15 years, 6 months | |||||
| Ruth Perry | Chairwoman of the Council of State | 3 September 1996 | 2 August 1997 | 10 months | Head of state and government |
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| Rosalía Arteaga | President | 9 February 1997 | 11 February 1997 | 2 days | Head of state and government |
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| Mary McAleese | President | 11 November 1997 | 11 November 2011 | 14 years | Head of state | ||
| Jenny Shipley | Prime Minister | 8 December 1997 | 10 December 1999 | 2 years, 2 days | Head of government | ||
| Janet Jagan | President | 19 December 1997 | 11 August 1999 | 1 year, 7 months | Head of state and government |
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| Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga | President | 8 July 1999 | 8 July 2007 | 8 years | Head of state | ||
| Mireya Moscoso | President | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2004 | 5 years | Head of state and government |
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| Helen Clark | Prime Minister | 10 December 1999 | 19 November 2008 | 8 years, 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Tarja Halonen | President | 1 March 2000 | 1 March 2012 | 12 years | Head of state | ||
| Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | President | 20 January 2001 | 30 June 2010 | 9 years, 5 months | Head of state and government |
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| Mame Madior Boye | Prime Minister | 3 March 2001 | 4 November 2002 | 1 year, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| Megawati Sukarnoputri | President | 23 July 2001 | 20 October 2004 | 3 years, 2 months | Head of state and government |
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| Maria das Neves | Prime Minister | 3 October 2002 | 18 September 2004 | 1 year, 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Anneli Jäätteenmäki | Prime Minister | 17 April 2003 | 24 June 2003 | 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Yulia Tymoshenko | Prime Minister | 24 January 2005 | 6 September 2005 | 7 months | Head of government | ||
| 18 December 2007 | 3 March 2010 | 2 years, 2 months | |||||
| Maria do Carmo Silveira | Prime Minister | 8 June 2005 | 21 April 2006 | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Angela Merkel | Chancellor | 22 November 2005 | 8 December 2021 | 16 years, 16 days | Head of government | ||
| Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | President | 16 January 2006 | 22 January 2018 | 12 years, 6 days | Head of state and government |
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| Michelle Bachelet | President | 11 March 2006 | 11 March 2010 | 4 years | Head of state and government |
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| 11 March 2014 | 11 March 2018 | 4 years | |||||
| Portia Simpson-Miller | Prime Minister | 30 March 2006 | 11 September 2007 | 1 year, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| 5 January 2012 | 3 March 2016 | 4 years, 1 month | |||||
| Pratibha Devisingh Patil | President | 25 July 2007 | 25 July 2012 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | President | 10 December 2007 | 10 December 2015 | 8 years | Head of state and government |
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| Zinaida Greceanîi | Prime Minister | 31 March 2008 | 14 September 2009 | 1 year, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Michèle Pierre-Louis | Prime Minister | 5 September 2008 | 11 November 2009 | 1 year, 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir | Prime Minister | 1 February 2009 | 23 May 2013 | 4 years, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Jadranka Kosor | Prime Minister | 6 July 2009 | 23 December 2011 | 2 years, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Dalia Grybauskaitė | President | 12 July 2009 | 12 July 2019 | 10 years | Head of state | ||
| Roza Otunbayeva | President | 7 April 2010 | 1 December 2011 | 1 year, 7 months | Head of state | ||
| Laura Chinchilla | President | 8 May 2010 | 8 May 2014 | 4 years | Head of state and government |
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| Kamla Persad-Bissessar | Prime Minister | 26 May 2010 | 9 September 2015 | 5 years, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| 1 May 2025 | Incumbent | 0 years, 5 months | |||||
| Mari Kiviniemi | Prime Minister | 22 June 2010 | 22 June 2011 | 1 year | Head of government | ||
| Julia Gillard | Prime Minister | 24 June 2010 | 27 June 2013 | 3 years, 3 days | Head of government | ||
| Iveta Radičová | Prime Minister | 8 July 2010 | 4 April 2012 | 1 year, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| Dilma Rousseff | President | 1 January 2011 | 31 August 2016 (removed from office) |
5 years, 7 months | Head of state and government |
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| Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé | Prime Minister | 3 April 2011 | 22 March 2012 | 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Atifete Jahjaga | President | 7 April 2011 | 7 April 2016 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Yingluck Shinawatra | Prime Minister | 5 August 2011 | 7 May 2014 | 2 years, 9 months | Head of government | ||
| Helle Thorning-Schmidt | Prime Minister | 3 October 2011 | 28 June 2015 | 3 years, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| Joyce Banda | President | 7 April 2012 | 31 May 2014 | 2 years, 1 month | Head of state and government |
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| Park Geun-hye | President | 25 February 2013 | 10 March 2017 (removed from office) |
4 years, 13 days | Head of state and government |
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| Alenka Bratušek | Prime Minister | 20 March 2013 | 18 September 2014 | 1 year, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Tatiana Turanskaya | Prime Minister | 10 June 2013 | 13 October 2015 | 2 years, 4 months | Head of government | ||
| 30 November 2015 | 2 December 2015 | 2 days | |||||
| Sibel Siber | Prime Minister | 13 June 2013 | 2 September 2013 | 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Aminata Touré | Prime Minister | 1 September 2013 | 8 July 2014 | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Erna Solberg | Prime Minister | 16 October 2013 | 14 October 2021 | 7 years, 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Laimdota Straujuma | Prime Minister | 22 January 2014 | 11 February 2016 | 2 years, 20 days | Head of government | ||
| Catherine Samba-Panza | President | 23 January 2014 | 30 March 2016 | 2 years, 2 months | Head of state | ||
| Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | President | 4 April 2014 | 4 April 2019 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Ewa Kopacz | Prime Minister | 22 September 2014 | 16 November 2015 | 1 year, 1 month | Head of government | ||
| Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović | President | 19 February 2015 | 18 February 2020 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Ameenah Gurib-Fakim | President | 5 June 2015 | 23 March 2018 | 2 years, 9 months | Head of state | ||
| Bidya Devi Bhandari | President | 29 October 2015 | 13 March 2023 | 7 years, 4 months | Head of state | ||
| Beata Szydło | Prime Minister | 16 November 2015 | 11 December 2017 | 2 years, 25 days | Head of government | ||
| Hilda Heine | President | 28 January 2016 | 14 January 2020 | 3 years, 11 months | Head of state and government |
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| 3 January 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 9 months | |||||
| Aung San Suu Kyi | State Counsellor | 6 April 2016 | 1 February 2021 | 4 years, 9 months | De facto head of government |
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| Tsai Ing-wen | President | 20 May 2016 | 20 May 2024 | 8 years | Head of state | ||
| Theresa May | Prime Minister | 13 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | 3 years, 11 days | Head of government | ||
| Kersti Kaljulaid | President | 10 October 2016 | 11 October 2021 | 5 years, 1 day | Head of state | ||
| Ana Brnabić | Prime Minister | 29 June 2017 | 20 March 2024 | 6 years, 8 months | Head of government | ||
| Halimah Yacob | President | 14 September 2017 | 14 September 2023 | 6 years | Head of state | ||
| Jacinda Ardern | Prime Minister | 26 October 2017 | 25 January 2023 | 5 years, 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Katrín Jakobsdóttir | Prime Minister | 30 November 2017 | 9 April 2024 | 6 years, 4 months | Head of government | ||
| Viorica Dăncilă | Prime Minister | 29 January 2018 | 4 November 2019 | 1 year, 9 months | Head of government | ||
| Paula-Mae Weekes | President | 19 March 2018 | 20 March 2023 | 5 years, 1 day | Head of state | ||
| Mia Mottley | Prime Minister | 25 May 2018 | Incumbent | 7 years, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Sahle-Work Zewde | President | 25 October 2018 | 7 October 2024 | 5 years, 11 months | Head of state | ||
| Salome Zourabichvili | President | 16 December 2018 | Disputed | 6 years, 13 days | Head of state | ||
| Brigitte Bierlein | Chancellor | 3 June 2019 | 7 January 2020 | 7 months | Head of government | ||
| Maia Sandu | Prime Minister | 8 June 2019 | 14 November 2019 | 5 months | Head of government | ||
| President | 24 December 2020 | Incumbent | 4 years, 1 month | Head of state | |||
| Zuzana Čaputová | President | 15 June 2019 | 15 June 2024 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Mette Frederiksen | Prime Minister | 27 June 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Sophie Wilmès | Prime Minister | 27 October 2019 | 1 October 2020 | 11 months | Head of government | ||
| Jeanine Áñez | President | 12 November 2019 | 8 November 2020 | 11 months | Head of state and government |
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| Sanna Marin | Prime Minister | 10 December 2019 | 20 June 2023 | 3 years, 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Katerina Sakellaropoulou | President | 13 March 2020 | 13 March 2025 | 5 years | Head of state | ||
| Rose Christiane Raponda | Prime Minister | 16 July 2020 | 9 January 2023 | 2 years, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Victoire Tomegah Dogbé | Prime Minister | 28 September 2020 | 3 May 2025 | 4 years, 7 months | Head of government | ||
| Ingrida Šimonytė | Prime Minister | 11 December 2020 | 12 December 2024 | 4 years, 1 day | Head of government | ||
| Kaja Kallas | Prime Minister | 26 January 2021 | 23 July 2024 | 3 years, 5 months | Head of government | ||
| Samia Suluhu Hassan | President | 19 March 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 7 months | Head of state and government |
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| Vjosa Osmani | President | 4 April 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 6 months | Head of state | ||
| Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa | Prime Minister | 24 May 2021 | 16 September 2025 | 4 years, 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Natalia Gavrilița | Prime Minister | 6 August 2021 | 16 February 2023 | 1 year, 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Najla Bouden | Prime Minister | 11 October 2021 | 2 August 2023 | 1 year, 9 months | Head of government | ||
| Sandra Mason | President | 30 November 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 10 months | Head of state | ||
| Magdalena Andersson | Prime Minister | 30 November 2021 | 18 October 2022 | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Xiomara Castro | President | 27 January 2022 | Incumbent | 3 years, 8 months | Head of state and government |
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| Katalin Novák | President | 10 May 2022 | 26 February 2024 | 1 year, 9 months | Head of state | ||
| Élisabeth Borne | Prime Minister | 16 May 2022 | 9 January 2024 | 1 year, 7 months | Head of government | ||
| Droupadi Murmu | President | 25 July 2022 | Incumbent | 3 years, 3 months | Head of state | ||
| Liz Truss | Prime Minister | 6 September 2022 | 25 October 2022 | 1 month, 19 days | Head of government | ||
| Giorgia Meloni | Prime Minister | 22 October 2022 | Incumbent | 3 years, 3 days | Head of government | ||
| Dina Boluarte | President | 7 December 2022 | 10 October 2025 | 2 years, 10 months | Head of state and government |
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| Nataša Pirc Musar | President | 23 December 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 10 months | Head of state | ||
| Borjana Krišto | Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers | 25 January 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 9 months | Head of government | ||
| Christine Kangaloo | President | 20 March 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 7 months | Head of state | ||
| Evika Siliņa | Prime Minister | 15 September 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 1 month | Head of government | ||
| Sylvanie Burton | President | 2 October 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years | Head of state | ||
| Myriam Spiteri Debono | President | 4 April 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 6 months | Head of state | ||
| Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova | President | 12 May 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 5 months | Head of state | ||
| Judith Suminwa | Prime Minister | 12 June 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 4 months | Head of government | ||
| Halla Tómasdóttir | President | 1 August 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 2 months | Head of state | ||
| Paetongtarn Shinawatra | Prime Minister | 16 August 2024 | 29 August 2025 (removed from office) |
1 year, 1 month | Head of government | ||
| Claudia Sheinbaum | President | 1 October 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year | Head of state and government |
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| Kristrún Frostadóttir | Prime Minister | 21 December 2024 | Incumbent | 10 months | Head of government | ||
| Ilza Amado Vaz | Prime Minister | 9 January 2025 | 12 January 2025 | 3 days | Head of government | ||
| Raffaella Petrini | President | 1 March 2025 | Incumbent | 7 months | Head of government | ||
| Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah | President | 21 March 2025 | Incumbent | 7 months | Head of state and government |
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| Sara Zaafarani | Prime Minister | 21 March 2025 | Incumbent | 7 months | Head of government | ||
| Brigitte Haas | Prime Minister | 10 April 2025 | Incumbent | 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Jennifer Geerlings-Simons | President | 16 July 2025 | Incumbent | 3 months | Head of state and government |
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| Yulia Svyrydenko | Prime Minister | 17 July 2025 | Incumbent | 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Inga Ruginienė | Prime Minister | 25 September 2025 | Incumbent | 1 month | Head of government | ||
| Sanae Takaichi | Prime Minister | 21 October 2025 | Incumbent | 4 days | Head of government |
Women Leaders: Acting or Temporary Chief Executives
This list includes women who took on a leadership role for a short time. They filled an empty position temporarily. Incumbent
| Name | Portrait | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length | Head of state or government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa | Acting Chairman of the Presidium of the State Great Khural |
7 September 1953 | 7 July 1954 | 10 months | Head of state | ||
| Soong Ching-ling | Acting Co-Chairperson | 31 October 1968 | 24 April 1972 | 3 years, 5 months | Head of state | ||
| Acting Chairperson | 6 July 1976 | 5 March 1978 | 1 year, 7 months | ||||
| Carmen Pereira | Acting President | 14 May 1984 | 16 May 1984 | 2 days | Head of state | ||
| Sylvie Kinigi | Acting President | 27 October 1993 | 5 February 1994 | 3 months | Head of state | ||
| Reneta Indzhova | Acting Prime Minister | 17 October 1994 | 25 January 1995 | 3 months | Head of government | ||
| Irena Degutienė | 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 | Acting Prime Minister | 22 July 1999 | 30 July 1999 | 8 days | Head of government | ||
| Nino Burjanadze | Acting President | 23 November 2003 | 25 January 2004 | 2 months | Head of state | ||
| 25 November 2007 | 20 January 2008 | 1 month | |||||
| Barbara Prammer | Co-Acting President | 6 July 2004 | 8 July 2004 | 2 days | Head of state | ||
| Radmila Šekerinska | Acting Prime Minister | 12 May 2004 | 12 June 2004 | 1 month | Head of government | ||
| 3 November 2004 | 15 December 2004 | 1 month | |||||
| Dalia Itzik | Acting President | 25 January 2007 | 15 July 2007 | 5 months | Head of state | ||
| Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri | Acting President | 25 September 2005 | 14 hours | Head of state and government |
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| Rose Francine Rogombé | Acting President | 10 June 2009 | 16 October 2009 | 4 months | Head of state | ||
| Cécile Manorohanta | Acting Prime Minister | 18 December 2009 | 20 December 2009 | 2 days | Head of government | ||
| Adiato Djaló Nandigna | Acting Prime Minister | 10 February 2012 | 12 April 2012 | 2 months | Head of government | ||
| Monique Ohsan Bellepeau | Acting President | 31 March 2012 | 21 July 2012 | 3 months | Head of state | ||
| 29 May 2015 | 5 June 2015 | 7 days | |||||
| Slavica Đukić Dejanović | Acting President | 5 April 2012 | 31 May 2012 | 1 month | Head of state | ||
| Natalia Gherman | Acting Prime Minister | 22 June 2015 | 30 July 2015 | 1 month | Head of government | ||
| Vassiliki Thanou | Acting Prime Minister | 27 August 2015 | 21 September 2015 | 25 days | Head of government | ||
| Maya Parnas | Acting Prime Minister | 13 October 2015 | 30 November 2015 | 1 month | Head of government | ||
| 2 December 2015 | 23 December 2015 | 21 days | |||||
| Doris Bures | Co-Acting President of the National Council | 8 July 2016 | 26 January 2017 | 6 months | Head of state | ||
| Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh | Acting President | 21 September 2018 | 23 October 2018 | 1 month | Head of state | ||
| Vjosa Osmani | Acting President | 5 November 2020 | 22 March 2021 | 4 months | Head of state | ||
| Maya Tskitishvili | Acting Prime Minister | 18 February 2021 | 22 February 2021 | 4 days | Head of government | ||
| Võ Thị Ánh Xuân | Acting President | 18 January 2023 | 2 March 2023 | 1 month | Head of state | ||
| 21 March 2024 | 22 May 2024 | 2 months | |||||
| Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara | Acting President | 1 December 2023 | 1 June 2024 | 6 months | Head of state | ||
| Isabelle Berro-Amadeï | Acting Minister of State | 10 January 2025 | 21 July 2025 | 6 months | Head of government | ||
| Sushila Karki | Interim Prime Minister | 12 September 2025 | Incumbent | 1 month | Head of government | ||
Women in Collective Head-of-State Bodies
Some countries have a group of people who share the role of head of state. This list shows women who were part of such a group. Incumbent
| Name | Portrait | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length | Head of state or government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Kollontai | Member of the Council of People's Commissars | 26 October 1917 | 23 February 1918 | 3 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Nadezhda Krupskaya | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 12 December 1937 | 27 February 1939 | 1 year, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Klavdiya Nikolayeva | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 12 December 1937 | 10 February 1946 | 8 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Anna Pankratova | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 14 March 1954 | 25 May 1957 | 3 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Yekaterina Furtseva | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 12 March 1950 | 18 April 1962 | 12 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Alicja Musiałowa-Afanasjew | Member of the Council of State | 20 November 1952 | 24 June 1965 | 12 years, 7 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Yadgar Nasriddinova | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 24 March 1959 | 25 September 1970 | 11 years, 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Luise Ermisch | Member of the State Council | 12 September 1960 | 13 November 1963 | 3 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Irmgard Neumann | 12 September 1960 | 13 November 1963 | 3 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Tursunoy Akhunova | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 18 April 1962 | 16 June 1974 | 12 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Lieselott Herforth | Member of the State Council | 13 November 1963 | 25 June 1981 | 17 years, 7 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Else Merke | 13 November 1963 | 26 November 1971 | 8 years, 13 days | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Brunhilde Hanke | 19 November 1964 | 5 April 1990 | 25 years, 4 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Anni Neumann | 19 November 1964 | 26 November 1971 | 7 years, 7 days | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Eugenia Krassowska-Jodłowska | Member of the Council of State | 24 June 1965 | 28 March 1972 | 6 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Zoya Pukhova | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 12 June 1966 | 25 May 1989 | 22 years, 11 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Maria Schneider | Member of the State Council | 13 July 1967 | 26 November 1971 | 4 years, 4 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Margarete Müller | 26 November 1971 | 11 January 1990 | 18 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Ilse Thiele | 26 November 1971 | 11 January 1990 | 18 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Rosel Walther | 26 November 1971 | 5 April 1990 | 18 years, 4 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Halina Koźniewska | Member of the Council of State | 28 March 1972 | 2 April 1980 | 8 years, 5 days | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Valentina Tereshkova | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | June 1974 | March or April 1989 | c. 14 years | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Rimma Gavrilova | 16 June 1974 | 4 March 1984 | 9 years, 8 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Kamshat Donenbaeva | 16 June 1974 | 25 May 1989 | 14 years, 11 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Eugenia Kempara | Member of the Council of State | 18 December 1976 | 6 November 1985 | 8 years, 10 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Yekaterina Mukhina | Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet | 4 March 1979 | 4 March 1984 | 5 years, 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Violeta Chamorro | Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction | 18 July 1979 | 19 April 1980 | 9 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Krystyna Marszałek-Młyńczyk | Member of the Council of State | 2 April 1980 | 23 March 1983 | 2 years, 11 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini | Captain Regent | 1 April 1981 | 1 October 1981 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Johanna Töpfer | Member of the State Council | 25 June 1981 | 17 November 1989 | 8 years, 4 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Gloriana Ranocchini | Captain Regent | 1 April 1984 | 1 October 1984 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| 1 October 1989 | 1 April 1990 | 6 months | |||||
| Elisabeth Kopp | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 21 October 1984 | 12 January 1989 | 4 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Elżbieta Gacek | Member of the Council of State | 6 November 1985 | 17 June 1988 | 2 years, 7 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Monika Werner | Member of the State Council | 16 June 1986 | 5 April 1990 | 3 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Eveline Klett | 16 June 1986 | 5 April 1990 | 3 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Edda Ceccoli | Captain Regent | 1 October 1991 | 1 April 1992 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Biljana Plavšić | Serb Member of the Presidency | 1 March 1992 | 9 April 1992 | 1 month | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović | Serb Member of the Presidency | 24 December 1992 | 5 October 1996 | 3 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Ruth Dreifuss | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 April 1993 | 31 December 2002 | 9 years, 8 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Patrizia Busignani | Captain Regent | 1 April 1993 | 1 October 1993 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Ruth Metzler | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 1999 | 31 December 2003 | 5 years | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Rosa Zafferani | Captain Regent | 1 April 1999 | 1 October 1999 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| 1 April 2008 | 1 October 2008 | 6 months | |||||
| Maria Domenica Michelotti | 1 April 2000 | 1 October 2000 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | |||
| Micheline Calmy-Rey | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2003 | 31 December 2011 | 9 years | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Valeria Ciavatta | Captain Regent | 1 October 2003 | 1 April 2004 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| 1 April 2014 | 1 October 2014 | 6 months | |||||
| Fausta Morganti | 1 April 2005 | 1 October 2005 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Doris Leuthard | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 August 2006 | 31 December 2018 | 12 years, 5 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf | 1 January 2008 | 31 December 2015 | 8 years | Member of the collective head of state and government | |||
| Assunta Meloni | Captain Regent | 1 October 2008 | 1 April 2009 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Simonetta Sommaruga | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 November 2010 | 31 December 2022 | 12 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Maria Luisa Berti | Captain Regent | 1 April 2011 | 1 October 2011 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| 1 October 2022 | 1 April 2023 | 6 months | |||||
| Denise Bronzetti | 1 October 2012 | 1 April 2013 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| 1 April 2025 | 1 October 2025 | 6 months | |||||
| Antonella Mularoni | 1 April 2013 | 1 October 2013 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Anna Maria Muccioli | 1 October 2013 | 1 April 2014 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Lorella Stefanelli | 1 October 2015 | 1 April 2016 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Mimma Zavoli | 1 April 2017 | 1 October 2017 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Vanessa D'Ambrosio | 1 April 2017 | 1 October 2017 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Karin Keller-Sutter | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Viola Amherd | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2019 | 1 April 2025 | 6 years, 3 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Aisha Musa el-Said | Member of the Sovereignty Council | 21 August 2019 | 21 May 2021 | 1 year, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Raja Nicola | Member of the Sovereignty Council | 21 August 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 2 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Mariella Mularoni | Captain Regent | 1 October 2019 | 1 April 2020 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Grazia Zafferani | 1 April 2020 | 1 October 2020 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | |||
| Željka Cvijanović | Serb Member of the Presidency | 16 November 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 11 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Élisabeth Baume-Schneider | Member of the Swiss Federal Council | 1 January 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 9 months | Member of the collective head of state and government | ||
| Adele Tonnini | Captain Regent | 1 April 2023 | 1 October 2023 | 6 months | Member of the collective head of state | ||
| Milena Gasperoni | 1 April 2024 | 1 October 2024 | 6 months | ||||
| Francesca Civerchia | 1 October 2024 | 1 April 2025 | 6 months | ||||
| Rosario Murillo | Co-President | 18 February 2025 | Incumbent | 8 months | Member of the collective head of state |
Female Viceregal Representatives
These women are special representatives of a country's head of state. For example, governors-general represent the monarch (like King Charles III) in countries like Canada or Australia. They perform many duties of a head of state. Incumbent
| Name | Portrait | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmira Minita Gordon | Governor-General | 21 September 1981 | 17 November 1993 | 12 years, 1 month | ||
| Jeanne Sauvé | Governor General | 14 May 1984 | 29 January 1990 | 5 years, 8 months | ||
| Nita Barrow | Governor-General | 6 June 1990 | 19 December 1995 | 5 years, 6 months | ||
| Catherine Tizard | Governor-General | 13 December 1990 | 21 March 1996 | 5 years, 3 months | ||
| Pearlette Louisy | Governor-General | 17 September 1997 | 31 December 2017 | 20 years, 3 months | ||
| Adrienne Clarkson | Governor General | 7 October 1999 | 27 September 2005 | 5 years, 11 months | ||
| Silvia Cartwright | Governor-General | 4 April 2001 | 4 August 2006 | 5 years, 4 months | ||
| Ivy Dumont | Governor-General | 11 November 2001 | 30 November 2005 | 4 years, 17 days | ||
| Michaëlle Jean | Governor General | 27 September 2005 | 1 October 2010 | 5 years, 4 days | ||
| Emmanuelle Mignon | Representative of the French Co-Prince | 6 June 2007 | 24 September 2008 | 1 year, 3 months | ||
| Louise Lake-Tack | Governor-General | 17 July 2007 | 13 August 2014 | 7 years, 27 days | ||
| Quentin Bryce | Governor-General | 5 September 2008 | 28 March 2014 | 5 years, 6 months | ||
| Sylvie Hubac | Representative of the French Co-Prince | 15 May 2012 | 5 January 2015 | 2 years, 7 months | ||
| Cécile La Grenade | Governor-General | 7 May 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 5 months | ||
| Marguerite Pindling | Governor-General | 8 July 2014 | 28 June 2019 | 4 years, 11 months | ||
| Patsy Reddy | Governor-General | 28 September 2016 | 28 September 2021 | 5 years | ||
| Julie Payette | Governor General | 2 October 2017 | 21 January 2021 | 3 years, 3 months | ||
| Sandra Mason | Governor-General | 8 January 2018 | 30 November 2021 (became inaugural president) |
3 years, 10 months | ||
| Susan Dougan | Governor-General | 1 August 2019 | Incumbent | 6 years, 2 months | ||
| Froyla Tzalam | Governor-General | 27 May 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 4 months | ||
| Mary Simon | Governor General | 26 July 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 2 months | ||
| Cindy Kiro | Governor-General | 21 October 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years | ||
| Marcella Liburd | Governor-General | 1 February 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 8 months | ||
| Cynthia A. Pratt | Governor-General | 1 September 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 1 month | ||
| Sam Mostyn | Governor-General | 1 July 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 3 months |
Acting Female Viceregal Representatives
This list includes women who temporarily served as a viceregal representative. Incumbent
| Name | Portrait | Country | Office | Mandate start | Mandate end | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sian Elias | Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General) |
22 March 2001 | 4 April 2001 | 13 days | ||
| 4 August 2006 | 23 August 2006 | 19 days | ||||
| 23 August 2011 | 31 August 2011 | 8 days | ||||
| 31 August 2016 | 28 September 2016 | 28 days | ||||
| Monica Dacon | Acting Governor-General | 3 June 2002 | 2 September 2002 | 2 months | ||
| Sandra Mason | Acting Governor-General | 30 May 2012 | 1 June 2012 | 2 days | ||
| Teniku Talesi Honolulu | Acting Governor-General | 22 August 2019 | 15 January 2021 | 1 year, 4 months | ||
| Helen Winkelmann | Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General) |
28 September 2021 | 21 October 2021 | 23 days |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Jefas de Estado para niños
- Women in government
- List of elected and appointed female deputy heads of state
- List of elected and appointed female deputy heads of government
- List of the first women heads of state and government in Muslim-majority countries
- List of Muslim women heads of state and government
- List of female monarchs