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.

This map shows countries where women are currently heads of state or government. It includes governors-general but not queens.

This map shows countries that have had women as heads of state or government 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)

• 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.

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		Tannu Tuva	Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Little Khural	6 April 1940	11 October 1944	4 years, 6 months	Head of state
Sirimavo Bandaranaike		Ceylon/  Sri Lanka	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		India	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		Israel	Prime Minister	17 March 1969	3 June 1974	5 years, 2 months	Head of government
Isabel Perón		Argentina	President	1 July 1974	24 March 1976	1 year, 8 months	Head of state and government
Elisabeth Domitien		Central African Republic	Prime Minister	2 January 1975	7 April 1976	1 year, 3 months	Head of government
Margaret Thatcher		United Kingdom	Prime Minister	4 May 1979	28 November 1990	11 years, 6 months	Head of government
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo		Portugal	Prime Minister	1 August 1979	3 January 1980	5 months	Head of government
Lidia Gueiler Tejada		Bolivia	President	16 November 1979	17 July 1980	8 months	Head of state
Eugenia Charles		Dominica	Prime Minister	21 July 1980	14 June 1995	14 years, 10 months	Head of government
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir		Iceland	President	1 August 1980	1 August 1996	16 years	Head of state
Gro Harlem Brundtland		Norway	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		China	Honorary President	16 May 1981	28 May 1981	12 days	Head of state
Agatha Barbara		Malta	President	15 February 1982	15 February 1987	5 years	Head of state
Milka Planinc		Yugoslavia	Prime Minister	16 May 1982	15 May 1986	3 years, 11 months	Head of government
Corazon Aquino		Philippines	President	25 February 1986	30 June 1992	6 years, 4 months	Head of state and government
Stella Sigcau		Transkei	Prime Minister	5 October 1987	30 December 1987	2 months	Head of government
Benazir Bhutto		Pakistan	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		Haiti	President	13 March 1990	7 February 1991	10 months	Head of state
Kazimira Prunskienė		Lithuania	Prime Minister	11 March 1990	10 January 1991	10 months	Head of government
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl		East Germany	President of the People's Chamber	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	5 months	Head of state
Violeta Chamorro		Nicaragua	President	25 April 1990	10 January 1997	6 years, 8 months	Head of state and government
Mary Robinson		Ireland	President	3 December 1990	12 September 1997	6 years, 9 months	Head of state
Khaleda Zia		Bangladesh	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		France	Prime Minister	15 May 1991	2 April 1992	10 months	Head of government
Hanna Suchocka		Poland	Prime Minister	11 July 1992	25 October 1993	1 year, 3 months	Head of government
Tansu Çiller		Turkey	Prime Minister	13 June 1993	6 March 1996	2 years, 8 months	Head of government
Kim Campbell		Canada	Prime Minister	25 June 1993	4 November 1993	4 months	Head of government
Sylvie Kinigi		Burundi	Prime Minister	10 July 1993	7 February 1994	6 months	Head of government
Agathe Uwilingiyimana		Rwanda	Prime Minister	18 July 1993	7 April 1994 (passed away while in office)	8 months	Head of government
Chandrika Kumaratunga		Sri Lanka	President	12 November 1994	19 November 2005	11 years, 7 days	Head of state and government
Claudette Werleigh		Haiti	Prime Minister	7 November 1995	27 February 1996	3 months	Head of government
Sheikh Hasina		Bangladesh	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		Liberia	Chairwoman of the Council of State	3 September 1996	2 August 1997	10 months	Head of state and government
Rosalía Arteaga		Ecuador	President	9 February 1997	11 February 1997	2 days	Head of state and government
Mary McAleese		Ireland	President	11 November 1997	11 November 2011	14 years	Head of state
Jenny Shipley		New Zealand	Prime Minister	8 December 1997	10 December 1999	2 years, 2 days	Head of government
Janet Jagan		Guyana	President	19 December 1997	11 August 1999	1 year, 7 months	Head of state and government
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga		Latvia	President	8 July 1999	8 July 2007	8 years	Head of state
Mireya Moscoso		Panama	President	1 September 1999	1 September 2004	5 years	Head of state and government
Helen Clark		New Zealand	Prime Minister	10 December 1999	19 November 2008	8 years, 11 months	Head of government
Tarja Halonen		Finland	President	1 March 2000	1 March 2012	12 years	Head of state
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo		Philippines	President	20 January 2001	30 June 2010	9 years, 5 months	Head of state and government
Mame Madior Boye		Senegal	Prime Minister	3 March 2001	4 November 2002	1 year, 8 months	Head of government
Megawati Sukarnoputri		Indonesia	President	23 July 2001	20 October 2004	3 years, 2 months	Head of state and government
Maria das Neves		São Tomé and Príncipe	Prime Minister	3 October 2002	18 September 2004	1 year, 11 months	Head of government
Anneli Jäätteenmäki		Finland	Prime Minister	17 April 2003	24 June 2003	2 months	Head of government
Yulia Tymoshenko		Ukraine	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		São Tomé and Príncipe	Prime Minister	8 June 2005	21 April 2006	10 months	Head of government
Angela Merkel		Germany	Chancellor	22 November 2005	8 December 2021	16 years, 16 days	Head of government
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf		Liberia	President	16 January 2006	22 January 2018	12 years, 6 days	Head of state and government
Michelle Bachelet		Chile	President	11 March 2006	11 March 2010	4 years	Head of state and government
				11 March 2014	11 March 2018	4 years
Portia Simpson-Miller		Jamaica	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		India	President	25 July 2007	25 July 2012	5 years	Head of state
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner		Argentina	President	10 December 2007	10 December 2015	8 years	Head of state and government
Zinaida Greceanîi		Moldova	Prime Minister	31 March 2008	14 September 2009	1 year, 5 months	Head of government
Michèle Pierre-Louis		Haiti	Prime Minister	5 September 2008	11 November 2009	1 year, 2 months	Head of government
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir		Iceland	Prime Minister	1 February 2009	23 May 2013	4 years, 3 months	Head of government
Jadranka Kosor		Croatia	Prime Minister	6 July 2009	23 December 2011	2 years, 5 months	Head of government
Dalia Grybauskaitė		Lithuania	President	12 July 2009	12 July 2019	10 years	Head of state
Roza Otunbayeva		Kyrgyzstan	President	7 April 2010	1 December 2011	1 year, 7 months	Head of state
Laura Chinchilla		Costa Rica	President	8 May 2010	8 May 2014	4 years	Head of state and government
Kamla Persad-Bissessar		Trinidad and Tobago	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		Finland	Prime Minister	22 June 2010	22 June 2011	1 year	Head of government
Julia Gillard		Australia	Prime Minister	24 June 2010	27 June 2013	3 years, 3 days	Head of government
Iveta Radičová		Slovakia	Prime Minister	8 July 2010	4 April 2012	1 year, 8 months	Head of government
Dilma Rousseff		Brazil	President	1 January 2011	31 August 2016 (removed from office)	5 years, 7 months	Head of state and government
Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé		Mali	Prime Minister	3 April 2011	22 March 2012	11 months	Head of government
Atifete Jahjaga		Kosovo	President	7 April 2011	7 April 2016	5 years	Head of state
Yingluck Shinawatra		Thailand	Prime Minister	5 August 2011	7 May 2014	2 years, 9 months	Head of government
Helle Thorning-Schmidt		Denmark	Prime Minister	3 October 2011	28 June 2015	3 years, 8 months	Head of government
Joyce Banda		Malawi	President	7 April 2012	31 May 2014	2 years, 1 month	Head of state and government
Park Geun-hye		South Korea	President	25 February 2013	10 March 2017 (removed from office)	4 years, 13 days	Head of state and government
Alenka Bratušek		Slovenia	Prime Minister	20 March 2013	18 September 2014	1 year, 5 months	Head of government
Tatiana Turanskaya		Transnistria	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		Northern Cyprus	Prime Minister	13 June 2013	2 September 2013	2 months	Head of government
Aminata Touré		Senegal	Prime Minister	1 September 2013	8 July 2014	10 months	Head of government
Erna Solberg		Norway	Prime Minister	16 October 2013	14 October 2021	7 years, 11 months	Head of government
Laimdota Straujuma		Latvia	Prime Minister	22 January 2014	11 February 2016	2 years, 20 days	Head of government
Catherine Samba-Panza		Central African Republic	President	23 January 2014	30 March 2016	2 years, 2 months	Head of state
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca		Malta	President	4 April 2014	4 April 2019	5 years	Head of state
Ewa Kopacz		Poland	Prime Minister	22 September 2014	16 November 2015	1 year, 1 month	Head of government
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović		Croatia	President	19 February 2015	18 February 2020	5 years	Head of state
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim		Mauritius	President	5 June 2015	23 March 2018	2 years, 9 months	Head of state
Bidya Devi Bhandari		Nepal	President	29 October 2015	13 March 2023	7 years, 4 months	Head of state
Beata Szydło		Poland	Prime Minister	16 November 2015	11 December 2017	2 years, 25 days	Head of government
Hilda Heine		Marshall Islands	President	28 January 2016	14 January 2020	3 years, 11 months	Head of state and government
				3 January 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 9 months
Aung San Suu Kyi		Myanmar	State Counsellor	6 April 2016	1 February 2021	4 years, 9 months	De facto head of government
Tsai Ing-wen		Taiwan	President	20 May 2016	20 May 2024	8 years	Head of state
Theresa May		United Kingdom	Prime Minister	13 July 2016	24 July 2019	3 years, 11 days	Head of government
Kersti Kaljulaid		Estonia	President	10 October 2016	11 October 2021	5 years, 1 day	Head of state
Ana Brnabić		Serbia	Prime Minister	29 June 2017	20 March 2024	6 years, 8 months	Head of government
Halimah Yacob		Singapore	President	14 September 2017	14 September 2023	6 years	Head of state
Jacinda Ardern		New Zealand	Prime Minister	26 October 2017	25 January 2023	5 years, 2 months	Head of government
Katrín Jakobsdóttir		Iceland	Prime Minister	30 November 2017	9 April 2024	6 years, 4 months	Head of government
Viorica Dăncilă		Romania	Prime Minister	29 January 2018	4 November 2019	1 year, 9 months	Head of government
Paula-Mae Weekes		Trinidad and Tobago	President	19 March 2018	20 March 2023	5 years, 1 day	Head of state
Mia Mottley		Barbados	Prime Minister	25 May 2018	Incumbent	7 years, 5 months	Head of government
Sahle-Work Zewde		Ethiopia	President	25 October 2018	7 October 2024	5 years, 11 months	Head of state
Salome Zourabichvili		Georgia	President	16 December 2018	Disputed	6 years, 13 days	Head of state
Brigitte Bierlein		Austria	Chancellor	3 June 2019	7 January 2020	7 months	Head of government
Maia Sandu		Moldova	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		Slovakia	President	15 June 2019	15 June 2024	5 years	Head of state
Mette Frederiksen		Denmark	Prime Minister	27 June 2019	Incumbent	6 years, 3 months	Head of government
Sophie Wilmès		Belgium	Prime Minister	27 October 2019	1 October 2020	11 months	Head of government
Jeanine Áñez		Bolivia	President	12 November 2019	8 November 2020	11 months	Head of state and government
Sanna Marin		Finland	Prime Minister	10 December 2019	20 June 2023	3 years, 6 months	Head of government
Katerina Sakellaropoulou		Greece	President	13 March 2020	13 March 2025	5 years	Head of state
Rose Christiane Raponda		Gabon	Prime Minister	16 July 2020	9 January 2023	2 years, 5 months	Head of government
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé		Togo	Prime Minister	28 September 2020	3 May 2025	4 years, 7 months	Head of government
Ingrida Šimonytė		Lithuania	Prime Minister	11 December 2020	12 December 2024	4 years, 1 day	Head of government
Kaja Kallas		Estonia	Prime Minister	26 January 2021	23 July 2024	3 years, 5 months	Head of government
Samia Suluhu Hassan		Tanzania	President	19 March 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 7 months	Head of state and government
Vjosa Osmani		Kosovo	President	4 April 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 6 months	Head of state
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa		Samoa	Prime Minister	24 May 2021	16 September 2025	4 years, 3 months	Head of government
Natalia Gavrilița		Moldova	Prime Minister	6 August 2021	16 February 2023	1 year, 6 months	Head of government
Najla Bouden		Tunisia	Prime Minister	11 October 2021	2 August 2023	1 year, 9 months	Head of government
Sandra Mason		Barbados	President	30 November 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 10 months	Head of state
Magdalena Andersson		Sweden	Prime Minister	30 November 2021	18 October 2022	10 months	Head of government
Xiomara Castro		Honduras	President	27 January 2022	Incumbent	3 years, 8 months	Head of state and government
Katalin Novák		Hungary	President	10 May 2022	26 February 2024	1 year, 9 months	Head of state
Élisabeth Borne		France	Prime Minister	16 May 2022	9 January 2024	1 year, 7 months	Head of government
Droupadi Murmu		India	President	25 July 2022	Incumbent	3 years, 3 months	Head of state
Liz Truss		United Kingdom	Prime Minister	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	1 month, 19 days	Head of government
Giorgia Meloni		Italy	Prime Minister	22 October 2022	Incumbent	3 years, 3 days	Head of government
Dina Boluarte		Peru	President	7 December 2022	10 October 2025	2 years, 10 months	Head of state and government
Nataša Pirc Musar		Slovenia	President	23 December 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 10 months	Head of state
Borjana Krišto		Bosnia and Herzegovina	Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers	25 January 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 9 months	Head of government
Christine Kangaloo		Trinidad and Tobago	President	20 March 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 7 months	Head of state
Evika Siliņa		Latvia	Prime Minister	15 September 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 1 month	Head of government
Sylvanie Burton		Dominica	President	2 October 2023	Incumbent	2 years	Head of state
Myriam Spiteri Debono		Malta	President	4 April 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 6 months	Head of state
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova		North Macedonia	President	12 May 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 5 months	Head of state
Judith Suminwa		Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Prime Minister	12 June 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 4 months	Head of government
Halla Tómasdóttir		Iceland	President	1 August 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 2 months	Head of state
Paetongtarn Shinawatra		Thailand	Prime Minister	16 August 2024	29 August 2025 (removed from office)	1 year, 1 month	Head of government
Claudia Sheinbaum		Mexico	President	1 October 2024	Incumbent	1 year	Head of state and government
Kristrún Frostadóttir		Iceland	Prime Minister	21 December 2024	Incumbent	10 months	Head of government
Ilza Amado Vaz		São Tomé and Príncipe	Prime Minister	9 January 2025	12 January 2025	3 days	Head of government
Raffaella Petrini		Vatican City	President	1 March 2025	Incumbent	7 months	Head of government
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah		Namibia	President	21 March 2025	Incumbent	7 months	Head of state and government
Sara Zaafarani		Tunisia	Prime Minister	21 March 2025	Incumbent	7 months	Head of government
Brigitte Haas		Liechtenstein	Prime Minister	10 April 2025	Incumbent	6 months	Head of government
Jennifer Geerlings-Simons		Suriname	President	16 July 2025	Incumbent	3 months	Head of state and government
Yulia Svyrydenko		Ukraine	Prime Minister	17 July 2025	Incumbent	3 months	Head of government
Inga Ruginienė		Lithuania	Prime Minister	25 September 2025	Incumbent	1 month	Head of government
Sanae Takaichi		Japan	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		Mongolia	Acting Chairman of the Presidium of the State Great Khural	7 September 1953	7 July 1954	10 months	Head of state
Soong Ching-ling		China	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		Guinea-Bissau	Acting President	14 May 1984	16 May 1984	2 days	Head of state
Sylvie Kinigi		Burundi	Acting President	27 October 1993	5 February 1994	3 months	Head of state
Reneta Indzhova		Bulgaria	Acting Prime Minister	17 October 1994	25 January 1995	3 months	Head of government
Irena Degutienė		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		Mongolia	Acting Prime Minister	22 July 1999	30 July 1999	8 days	Head of government
Nino Burjanadze		Georgia	Acting President	23 November 2003	25 January 2004	2 months	Head of state
		Georgia		25 November 2007	20 January 2008	1 month
Barbara Prammer		Austria	Co-Acting President	6 July 2004	8 July 2004	2 days	Head of state
Radmila Šekerinska		Macedonia	Acting Prime Minister	12 May 2004	12 June 2004	1 month	Head of government
				3 November 2004	15 December 2004	1 month
Dalia Itzik		Israel	Acting President	25 January 2007	15 July 2007	5 months	Head of state
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri		South Africa	Acting President	25 September 2005		14 hours	Head of state and government
Rose Francine Rogombé		Gabon	Acting President	10 June 2009	16 October 2009	4 months	Head of state
Cécile Manorohanta		Madagascar	Acting Prime Minister	18 December 2009	20 December 2009	2 days	Head of government
Adiato Djaló Nandigna		Guinea-Bissau	Acting Prime Minister	10 February 2012	12 April 2012	2 months	Head of government
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau		Mauritius	Acting President	31 March 2012	21 July 2012	3 months	Head of state
				29 May 2015	5 June 2015	7 days
Slavica Đukić Dejanović		Serbia	Acting President	5 April 2012	31 May 2012	1 month	Head of state
Natalia Gherman		Moldova	Acting Prime Minister	22 June 2015	30 July 2015	1 month	Head of government
Vassiliki Thanou		Greece	Acting Prime Minister	27 August 2015	21 September 2015	25 days	Head of government
Maya Parnas		Transnistria	Acting Prime Minister	13 October 2015	30 November 2015	1 month	Head of government
				2 December 2015	23 December 2015	21 days
Doris Bures		Austria	Co-Acting President of the National Council	8 July 2016	26 January 2017	6 months	Head of state
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh		Vietnam	Acting President	21 September 2018	23 October 2018	1 month	Head of state
Vjosa Osmani		Kosovo	Acting President	5 November 2020	22 March 2021	4 months	Head of state
Maya Tskitishvili		Georgia	Acting Prime Minister	18 February 2021	22 February 2021	4 days	Head of government
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân		Vietnam	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		El Salvador	Acting President	1 December 2023	1 June 2024	6 months	Head of state
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï		Monaco	Acting Minister of State	10 January 2025	21 July 2025	6 months	Head of government
Sushila Karki		Nepal	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		Soviet Russia	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		Soviet Union	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		Soviet Union	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		Poland	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		Soviet Union	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		East Germany	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		Soviet Union	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		East Germany	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		Poland	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		Soviet Union	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		East Germany	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		Poland	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		Soviet Union	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		Poland	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		Soviet Union	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		Nicaragua	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		Poland	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		San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1981	1 October 1981	6 months	Member of the collective head of state
Johanna Töpfer		East Germany	Member of the State Council	25 June 1981	17 November 1989	8 years, 4 months	Member of the collective head of state
Gloriana Ranocchini		San Marino	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		Switzerland	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		Poland	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		East Germany	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		San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 1991	1 April 1992	6 months	Member of the collective head of state
Biljana Plavšić		Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	1 March 1992	9 April 1992	1 month	Member of the collective head of state
Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović		Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	24 December 1992	5 October 1996	3 years, 9 months	Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Dreifuss		Switzerland	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		San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1993	1 October 1993	6 months	Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Metzler		Switzerland	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		San Marino	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		Switzerland	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		San Marino	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		Switzerland	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		San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2008	1 April 2009	6 months	Member of the collective head of state
Simonetta Sommaruga		Switzerland	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		San Marino	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		Switzerland	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		Switzerland	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		Sudan	Member of the Sovereignty Council	21 August 2019	21 May 2021	1 year, 9 months	Member of the collective head of state
Raja Nicola		Sudan	Member of the Sovereignty Council	21 August 2019	Incumbent	6 years, 2 months	Member of the collective head of state
Mariella Mularoni		San Marino	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		Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	16 November 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 11 months	Member of the collective head of state
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider		Switzerland	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		San Marino	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		Nicaragua	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		Belize	Governor-General	21 September 1981	17 November 1993	12 years, 1 month
Jeanne Sauvé		Canada	Governor General	14 May 1984	29 January 1990	5 years, 8 months
Nita Barrow		Barbados	Governor-General	6 June 1990	19 December 1995	5 years, 6 months
Catherine Tizard		New Zealand	Governor-General	13 December 1990	21 March 1996	5 years, 3 months
Pearlette Louisy		Saint Lucia	Governor-General	17 September 1997	31 December 2017	20 years, 3 months
Adrienne Clarkson		Canada	Governor General	7 October 1999	27 September 2005	5 years, 11 months
Silvia Cartwright		New Zealand	Governor-General	4 April 2001	4 August 2006	5 years, 4 months
Ivy Dumont		The Bahamas	Governor-General	11 November 2001	30 November 2005	4 years, 17 days
Michaëlle Jean		Canada	Governor General	27 September 2005	1 October 2010	5 years, 4 days
Emmanuelle Mignon		Andorra	Representative of the French Co-Prince	6 June 2007	24 September 2008	1 year, 3 months
Louise Lake-Tack		Antigua and Barbuda	Governor-General	17 July 2007	13 August 2014	7 years, 27 days
Quentin Bryce		Australia	Governor-General	5 September 2008	28 March 2014	5 years, 6 months
Sylvie Hubac		Andorra	Representative of the French Co-Prince	15 May 2012	5 January 2015	2 years, 7 months
Cécile La Grenade		Grenada	Governor-General	7 May 2013	Incumbent	12 years, 5 months
Marguerite Pindling		The Bahamas	Governor-General	8 July 2014	28 June 2019	4 years, 11 months
Patsy Reddy		New Zealand	Governor-General	28 September 2016	28 September 2021	5 years
Julie Payette		Canada	Governor General	2 October 2017	21 January 2021	3 years, 3 months
Sandra Mason		Barbados	Governor-General	8 January 2018	30 November 2021 (became inaugural president)	3 years, 10 months
Susan Dougan		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Governor-General	1 August 2019	Incumbent	6 years, 2 months
Froyla Tzalam		Belize	Governor-General	27 May 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 4 months
Mary Simon		Canada	Governor General	26 July 2021	Incumbent	4 years, 2 months
Cindy Kiro		New Zealand	Governor-General	21 October 2021	Incumbent	4 years
Marcella Liburd		Saint Kitts and Nevis	Governor-General	1 February 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 8 months
Cynthia A. Pratt		The Bahamas	Governor-General	1 September 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 1 month
Sam Mostyn		Australia	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		New Zealand	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		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Acting Governor-General	3 June 2002	2 September 2002	2 months
Sandra Mason		Barbados	Acting Governor-General	30 May 2012	1 June 2012	2 days
Teniku Talesi Honolulu		Tuvalu	Acting Governor-General	22 August 2019	15 January 2021	1 year, 4 months
Helen Winkelmann		New Zealand	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