List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government

Female head of government

Female head of state

Female head of state/government (combined)^[a]

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

Three former sovereign states had a female head of state or government in the 20th century: East Germany, Tannu Tuva and Yugoslavia.

The following is a list of women who have been elected or appointed head of state or government of their respective countries since the interwar period (1918–1939). The first list includes female presidents who are heads of state and may also be heads of government, as well as female heads of government who are not concurrently head of state, such as prime ministers. The list does not include female monarchs who are heads of state (but not of government).^[b]

Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, of the mostly unrecognized and now defunct Tuvan People's Republic, is regarded as "first ever elected woman head of state in the world", although not in multiparty, free and fair elections. The wife of the nation's Supreme Leader, she is the first woman to be elected Chairman of a country. She became the chairwoman of the country's presidium in 1940.^[1]^[2]

The first woman to be elected as prime minister of a country was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), when she led her party to victory in the July 1960 general election.^[3]^[2]

The first woman to serve as president of a country was Isabel Perón of Argentina, who served as the country's vice president and succeeded to the presidency in July 1974 upon the death of her husband.^[4]^[2]

The first woman elected president of a country was Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland, who won the 1980 presidential election as well as three subsequent elections, remaining in office for a total of 16 years, which makes her the longest-serving non-hereditary female head of state in history.^[5]^[2]

The first democratically elected female prime minister of a Muslim majority country was Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, who led her party to victory in the 1988 general election and later in 1993, making her the first woman democratically elected leader of any Muslim nation.^[6] Bhutto was also the first of only two non-hereditary female world leaders who gave birth to a child while serving in office, the other being Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.^[7]

The longest-tenured female non-hereditary head of government and longest-serving female leader of a country is Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. She served as the country's prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and again since January 2009, for a combined total of over 20 years.^[8]

The prime ministers of Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Peru, and Uganda are included in the list of elected or appointed female deputy heads of government but not in the list of elected or appointed female deputy heads of state, as they are neither heads of government, nor deputy heads of state due to the existence of the office of vice president in these countries, whereas the prime ministers of South Korea are included in both of those lists.

Currently, Barbados is the only republic in the world where both the serving head of state and head of government are women. Honduras, the Marshall Islands, and Peru are republics where the female President is the combined head of state and government.

Elected or appointed female chief executives

This list includes women who were appointed by a governing committee or parliament where heads of state or government are not directly elected by citizens. The list does not include women chosen by a hereditary monarch. Interim heads of state or government are listed in italics.

Incumbent


Name	Country	Office	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length	Head of state or government	Executive or non-executive
Khertek Anchimaa-Toka	Tannu Tuva^[c]	Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Little Khural	6 April 1940	11 October 1944	4 years, 188 days	Head of state
Sirimavo Bandaranaike	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		Executive
			14 November 1994	9 August 2000	5 years, 269 days
Indira Gandhi	India	Prime Minister	24 January 1966	24 April 1977	11 years, 90 days	Head of government	Executive
Indira Gandhi	India	Prime Minister	15 January 1980	31 October 1984 (assassinated)	4 years, 290 days	Head of government	Executive
Golda Meir	Israel	Prime Minister	17 March 1969	3 June 1974	5 years, 78 days	Head of government	Executive
Isabel Perón	Argentina	President	1 July 1974	24 March 1976	1 year, 267 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Elisabeth Domitien	Central African Republic	Prime Minister	2 January 1975	7 April 1976	1 year, 96 days	Head of government
Margaret Thatcher	United Kingdom	Prime Minister	4 May 1979	28 November 1990	11 years, 208 days	Head of government	Executive
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo	Portugal	Prime Minister	1 August 1979	3 January 1980	155 days	Head of government	Executive
Lidia Gueiler Tejada	Bolivia	President	16 November 1979	17 July 1980	244 days	Head of state	Executive
Eugenia Charles	Dominica	Prime Minister	21 July 1980	14 June 1995	14 years, 328 days	Head of government	Executive
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir	Iceland	President	1 August 1980	1 August 1996	16 years, 0 days	Head of state
Gro Harlem Brundtland	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	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, 364 days	Head of government	Executive
Corazon Aquino	Philippines	President	25 February 1986	30 June 1992	6 years, 126 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Stella Sigcau	Transkei^[d]	Prime Minister	5 October 1987	30 December 1987	86 days	Head of government	Executive
Benazir Bhutto	Pakistan	Prime Minister	2 December 1988	6 July 1990	1 year, 216 days	Head of government	Executive
Benazir Bhutto	Pakistan	Prime Minister	19 October 1993	5 November 1996	3 years, 17 days	Head of government	Executive
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot	Haiti	President	13 March 1990	7 February 1991	331 days	Head of state
Kazimira Prunskienė	Lithuania	Prime Minister	11 March 1990	10 January 1991	299 days	Head of government	Executive
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl	East Germany	President of the People's Chamber	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	180 days	Head of state
Violeta Chamorro	Nicaragua	President	25 April 1990	10 January 1997	6 years, 260 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Mary Robinson	Ireland	President	3 December 1990	12 September 1997	6 years, 283 days	Head of state
Khaleda Zia	Bangladesh	Prime Minister	27 February 1991	30 March 1996	5 years, 32 days	Head of government	Executive
Khaleda Zia	Bangladesh	Prime Minister	1 October 2001	29 October 2006	5 years, 28 days	Head of government	Executive
Édith Cresson	France	Prime Minister	15 May 1991	2 April 1992	323 days	Head of government
Hanna Suchocka	Poland	Prime Minister	11 July 1992	25 October 1993	1 year, 106 days	Head of government
Tansu Çiller	Turkey	Prime Minister	13 June 1993	6 March 1996	2 years, 267 days	Head of government
Kim Campbell	Canada	Prime Minister	25 June 1993	4 November 1993	132 days	Head of government	Executive
Sylvie Kinigi	Burundi	Prime Minister	10 July 1993	7 February 1994	109 days	Head of government
Agathe Uwilingiyimana	Rwanda	Prime Minister	18 July 1993	7 April 1994 (assassinated)	263 days	Head of government
Chandrika Kumaratunga	Sri Lanka	President	12 November 1994	19 November 2005	11 years, 7 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Claudette Werleigh	Haiti	Prime Minister	7 November 1995	27 February 1996	112 days	Head of government
Sheikh Hasina	Bangladesh	Prime Minister	12 June 1996	15 July 2001	5 years, 33 days	Head of government	Executive
Sheikh Hasina	Bangladesh	Prime Minister	6 January 2009	Incumbent	15 years, 151 days	Head of government	Executive
Ruth Perry	Liberia	Chairwoman of the Council of State	3 September 1996	2 August 1997	333 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Rosalía Arteaga	Ecuador	President	9 February 1997	11 February 1997	2 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Mary McAleese	Ireland	President	11 November 1997	10 November 2011	13 years, 364 days	Head of state
Jenny Shipley	New Zealand	Prime Minister	8 December 1997	10 December 1999	2 years, 2 days	Head of government	Executive
Janet Jagan	Guyana	President	19 December 1997	11 August 1999	1 year, 235 days	Head of state and government	Executive
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	Executive
Helen Clark	New Zealand	Prime Minister	10 December 1999	19 November 2008	8 years, 350 days	Head of government	Executive
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, 161 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Mame Madior Boye	Senegal	Prime Minister	3 March 2001	4 November 2002	1 year, 246 days	Head of government	Executive
Megawati Sukarnoputri	Indonesia	President	23 July 2001	20 October 2004	3 years, 89 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Maria das Neves	São Tomé and Príncipe	Prime Minister	3 October 2002	18 September 2004	1 year, 351 days	Head of government
Anneli Jäätteenmäki	Finland	Prime Minister	17 April 2003	24 June 2003	68 days	Head of government	Executive
Yulia Tymoshenko	Ukraine	Prime Minister	24 January 2005	6 September 2005	225 days	Head of government	Executive
Yulia Tymoshenko	Ukraine	Prime Minister	18 December 2007	3 March 2010	2 years, 75 days	Head of government	Executive
Maria do Carmo Silveira	São Tomé and Príncipe	Prime Minister	8 June 2005	21 April 2006	317 days	Head of government
Angela Merkel	Germany	Chancellor	22 November 2005	8 December 2021	16 years, 16 days	Head of government	Executive
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf	Liberia	President	16 January 2006	22 January 2018	12 years, 6 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Michelle Bachelet	Chile	President	11 March 2006	11 March 2010	4 years	Head of state and government	Executive
Michelle Bachelet	Chile	President	11 March 2014	11 March 2018	4 years	Head of state and government	Executive
Portia Simpson-Miller	Jamaica	Prime Minister	30 March 2006	11 September 2007	1 year, 165 days	Head of government	Executive
Portia Simpson-Miller	Jamaica	Prime Minister	5 January 2012	3 March 2016	4 years, 58 days	Head of government	Executive
Pratibha 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	Executive
Zinaida Greceanîi	Moldova	Prime Minister	31 March 2008	14 September 2009	1 year, 167 days	Head of government	Executive
Michèle Pierre-Louis	Haiti	Prime Minister	5 September 2008	11 November 2009	1 year, 67 days	Head of government
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir	Iceland	Prime Minister	1 February 2009	23 May 2013	4 years, 111 days	Head of government	Executive
Jadranka Kosor	Croatia	Prime Minister	6 July 2009	23 December 2011	2 years, 170 days	Head of government	Executive
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, 238 days	Head of state
Laura Chinchilla	Costa Rica	President	8 May 2010	8 May 2014	4 years	Head of state and government	Executive
Kamla Persad-Bissessar	Trinidad and Tobago	Prime Minister	26 May 2010	9 September 2015	5 years, 106 days	Head of government	Executive
Mari Kiviniemi	Finland	Prime Minister	22 June 2010	22 June 2011	1 year	Head of government	Executive
Julia Gillard	Australia	Prime Minister	24 June 2010	27 June 2013	3 years, 3 days	Head of government	Executive
Iveta Radičová	Slovakia	Prime Minister	8 July 2010	4 April 2012	1 year, 271 days	Head of government	Executive
Dilma Rousseff	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	Mali	Prime Minister	3 April 2011	22 March 2012	354 days	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, 275 days	Head of government	Executive
Helle Thorning-Schmidt	Denmark	Prime Minister	3 October 2011	28 June 2015	3 years, 268 days	Head of government	Executive
Joyce Banda	Malawi	President	7 April 2012	31 May 2014	2 years, 54 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Park Geun-hye	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	Slovenia	Prime Minister	20 March 2013	18 September 2014	1 year, 182 days	Head of government	Executive
Tatiana Turanskaya	Transnistria^[e]	Prime Minister	10 June 2013	13 October 2015	2 years, 125 days	Head of government	Executive
Tatiana Turanskaya	Transnistria^[e]	Prime Minister	30 November 2015	2 December 2015	2 days	Head of government	Executive
Sibel Siber	Northern Cyprus^[f]	Prime Minister	13 June 2013	2 September 2013	81 days	Head of government	Executive
Aminata Touré	Senegal	Prime Minister	1 September 2013	8 July 2014	310 days	Head of government	Executive
Erna Solberg	Norway	Prime Minister	16 October 2013	14 October 2021	7 years, 363 days	Head of government	Executive
Laimdota Straujuma	Latvia	Prime Minister	22 January 2014	11 February 2016	2 years, 20 days	Head of government	Executive
Catherine Samba-Panza	Central African Republic	President	23 January 2014	30 March 2016	2 years, 67 days	Head of state	Executive
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, 55 days	Head of government
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović	Croatia	President	19 February 2015	18 February 2020	4 years, 364 days	Head of state
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim	Mauritius	President	5 June 2015	23 March 2018	2 years, 291 days	Head of state
Bidya Devi Bhandari	Nepal	President	29 October 2015	13 March 2023	7 years, 135 days	Head of state
Beata Szydło	Poland	Prime Minister	16 November 2015	11 December 2017	2 years, 25 days	Head of government	Executive
Hilda Heine	Marshall Islands	President	28 January 2016	14 January 2020	3 years, 351 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Hilda Heine	Marshall Islands	President	3 January 2024	Incumbent	154 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Aung San Suu Kyi	Myanmar	State Counsellor	6 April 2016	1 February 2021	4 years, 301 days	De facto head of government	De facto Executive
Tsai Ing-wen	Taiwan^[g]	President	20 May 2016	20 May 2024	8 years, 0 days	Head of state	Executive
Theresa May	United Kingdom	Prime Minister	13 July 2016	24 July 2019	3 years, 11 days	Head of government	Executive
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, 265 days	Head of government	Executive
Halimah Yacob	Singapore	President	14 September 2017	14 September 2023	6 years, 0 days	Head of state
Jacinda Ardern	New Zealand	Prime Minister	26 October 2017	25 January 2023	5 years, 91 days	Head of government	Executive
Katrín Jakobsdóttir	Iceland	Prime Minister	30 November 2017	9 April 2024	6 years, 131 days	Head of government	Executive
Viorica Dăncilă	Romania	Prime Minister	29 January 2018	4 November 2019	1 year, 279 days	Head of government	Executive
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	6 years, 11 days	Head of government	Executive
Sahle-Work Zewde	Ethiopia	President	25 October 2018	Incumbent	5 years, 224 days	Head of state
Salome Zourabichvili	Georgia	President	16 December 2018	Incumbent	5 years, 172 days	Head of state
Brigitte Bierlein	Austria	Chancellor	3 June 2019	7 January 2020	218 days	Head of government	Executive
Maia Sandu	Moldova	Prime Minister	8 June 2019	14 November 2019	159 days	Head of government	Executive
Maia Sandu	Moldova	President	24 December 2020	Incumbent	3 years, 164 days	Head of state
Zuzana Čaputová	Slovakia	President	15 June 2019	Incumbent	4 years, 356 days	Head of state
Mette Frederiksen	Denmark	Prime Minister	27 June 2019	Incumbent	4 years, 344 days	Head of government	Executive
Sophie Wilmès	Belgium	Prime Minister	27 October 2019	1 October 2020	340 days	Head of government	Executive
Sanna Marin	Finland	Prime Minister	10 December 2019	20 June 2023	3 years, 192 days	Head of government	Executive
Katerina Sakellaropoulou	Greece	President	13 March 2020	Incumbent	4 years, 84 days	Head of state
Rose Christiane Raponda	Gabon	Prime Minister	16 July 2020	9 January 2023	2 years, 177 days	Head of government	Executive^[h]
Victoire Tomegah Dogbé	Togo	Prime Minister	28 September 2020	Incumbent	3 years, 251 days	Head of government	Executive^[i]
Ingrida Šimonytė	Lithuania	Prime Minister	11 December 2020	Incumbent	3 years, 177 days	Head of government	Executive
Kaja Kallas	Estonia	Prime Minister	26 January 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 131 days	Head of government	Executive
Samia Suluhu Hassan	Tanzania	President	19 March 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 78 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Vjosa Osmani	Kosovo	President	4 April 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 62 days	Head of state
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa	Samoa	Prime Minister	24 May 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 12 days	Head of government	Executive
Natalia Gavrilița	Moldova	Prime Minister	6 August 2021	16 February 2023	1 year, 194 days	Head of government	Executive
Najla Bouden	Tunisia	Prime Minister	11 October 2021	2 August 2023	1 year, 295 days	Head of government	Executive
Sandra Mason	Barbados	President	30 November 2021	Incumbent	2 years, 188 days	Head of state
Magdalena Andersson	Sweden	Prime Minister	30 November 2021	18 October 2022	322 days	Head of government	Executive
Xiomara Castro	Honduras	President	27 January 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 130 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Katalin Novák	Hungary	President	10 May 2022	26 February 2024	1 year, 292 days	Head of state
Élisabeth Borne	France	Prime Minister	16 May 2022	9 January 2024	1 year, 238 days	Head of government
Droupadi Murmu	India	President	25 July 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 316 days	Head of state
Liz Truss	United Kingdom	Prime Minister	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	49 days	Head of government	Executive
Giorgia Meloni	Italy	Prime Minister	22 October 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 227 days	Head of government	Executive
Dina Boluarte	Peru	President	7 December 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 181 days	Head of state and government	Executive
Nataša Pirc Musar	Slovenia	President	23 December 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 165 days	Head of state
Borjana Krišto	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers	25 January 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 132 days	Head of government
Christine Kangaloo	Trinidad and Tobago	President	20 March 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 77 days	Head of state
Evika Siliņa	Latvia	Prime Minister	15 September 2023	Incumbent	264 days	Head of government	Executive
Sylvanie Burton	Dominica	President	2 October 2023	Incumbent	247 days	Head of state
Judith Suminwa	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Prime Minister	1 April 2024	Incumbent	65 days	Head of government
Myriam Spiteri Debono	Malta	President	4 April 2024	Incumbent	62 days	Head of state
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova	North Macedonia	President	12 May 2024	Incumbent	24 days	Head of state
Halla Tómasdóttir	Iceland	President	1 August 2024		−57 days	Head of state
Claudia Sheinbaum	Mexico	President	1 October 2024		−118 days	Head of state and government	Executive

Elected or appointed acting female chief executives

This list includes women elected or appointed in an acting capacity, wherein they assumed a vacated office on a temporary basis.

Incumbent


Name	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	303 days	Head of state
Soong Ching-ling	China	Acting Co-Chairperson	31 October 1968	24 April 1972	3 years, 176 days	Head of state
Soong Ching-ling	China	Acting Chairperson	6 July 1976	5 March 1978	1 year, 242 days	Head of state
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	101 days	Head of state
Reneta Indzhova	Bulgaria	Acting Prime Minister	17 October 1994	25 January 1995	100 days	Head of government
Irena Degutienė	Lithuania	Acting Prime Minister	4 May 1999	18 May 1999	14 days	Head of government
Irena Degutienė	Lithuania	Acting Prime Minister	27 October 1999	3 November 1999	7 days	Head of government
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	63 days	Head of state
Nino Burjanadze	Georgia	Acting President	25 November 2007	20 January 2008	56 days	Head of state
Barbara Prammer	Austria	Co-Acting President	6 July 2004	8 July 2004	2 days	Head of state
Radmila Šekerinska	North Macedonia	Acting Prime Minister	12 May 2004	12 June 2004	31 days	Head of government
Radmila Šekerinska	North Macedonia	Acting Prime Minister	3 November 2004	15 December 2004	42 days	Head of government
Dalia Itzik	Israel	Acting President	25 January 2007	15 July 2007	171 days	Head of state
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri	South Africa	Acting President	25 September 2008		14 hours^[11]^[12]	Head of state and government
Rose Francine Rogombé	Gabon	Acting President	10 June 2009	16 October 2009	128 days	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	62 days	Head of government
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau	Mauritius	Acting President	31 March 2012	21 July 2012	112 days	Head of state
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau	Mauritius	Acting President	29 May 2015	5 June 2015	7 days	Head of state
Slavica Đukić Dejanović	Serbia	Acting President	5 April 2012	31 May 2012	56 days	Head of state
Julie Bishop	Australia	Acting Prime Minister	20 December 2014	16 January 2015	27 days	Deputy Prime Minister
Natalia Gherman	Moldova	Acting Prime Minister	22 June 2015	30 July 2015	38 days	Head of government
Vassiliki Thanou	Greece	Acting Prime Minister	27 August 2015	21 September 2015	25 days	Head of government
Maya Parnas	Transnistria^[e]	Acting Prime Minister	13 October 2015	30 November 2015	48 days	Head of government
Maya Parnas	Transnistria^[e]	Acting Prime Minister	2 December 2015	23 December 2015	21 days	Head of government
Doris Bures	Austria	Co-Acting President of the National Council	8 July 2016	26 January 2017	202 days	Head of state
Julie Bishop	Australia	Acting Prime Minister	21 September 2018	23 October 2018	32 days	Deputy Prime Minister
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh	Vietnam	Acting President	21 September 2018	23 October 2018	32 days	Head of state
Vjosa Osmani	Kosovo	Acting President	5 November 2020	22 March 2021	137 days	Head of state
Maya Tskitishvili	Georgia	Acting Prime Minister	18 February 2021	22 February 2021	4 days	Head of government
Kamala Harris	United States	Acting President	19 November 2021		1 hour 25 minutes^[13]	Head of state and government
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân	Vietnam	Acting President	18 January 2023	2 March 2023	43 days	Head of state
Võ Thị Ánh Xuân	Vietnam	Acting President	21 March 2024	22 May 2024	62 days	Head of state
Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara	El Salvador	Acting President	1 December 2023	31 May 2024	182 days	Head of state

Female members of collective head-of-state bodies

Incumbent

Name	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	120 days	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, 77 days	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, 60 days	Member of the collective head of state
Anna Pankratova	Soviet Union	Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	14 March 1954	25 May 1957	3 years, 41 days	Member of the collective head of state
Yekaterina Furtseva	Soviet Union	Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	12 March 1950	18 April 1962	12 years, 6 days	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, 216 days	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, 154 days	Member of the collective head of state
Luise Ermisch	East Germany	Member of the State Council	12 September 1960	13 November 1963	3 years, 62 days	Member of the collective head of state
Irmgard Neumann	East Germany	Member of the State Council	12 September 1960	13 November 1963	3 years, 62 days	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, 59 days	Member of the collective head of state
Lieselott Herforth	East Germany	Member of the State Council	13 November 1963	25 June 1981	17 years, 224 days	Member of the collective head of state
Else Merke	East Germany	Member of the State Council	13 November 1963	26 November 1971	8 years, 13 days	Member of the collective head of state
Brunhilde Hanke	East Germany	Member of the State Council	19 November 1964	5 April 1990	25 years, 137 days	Member of the collective head of state
Anni Neumann	East Germany	Member of the State Council	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, 278 days	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, 347 days	Member of the collective head of state
Maria Schneider	East Germany	Member of the State Council	13 July 1967	26 November 1971	4 years, 136 days	Member of the collective head of state
Margarete Müller	East Germany	Member of the State Council	26 November 1971	11 January 1990	18 years, 46 days	Member of the collective head of state
Ilse Thiele	East Germany	Member of the State Council	26 November 1971	11 January 1990	18 years, 46 days	Member of the collective head of state
Rosel Walther	East Germany	Member of the State Council	26 November 1971	5 April 1990	18 years, 130 days	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	Soviet Union	Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	16 June 1974	4 March 1984	9 years, 293 days	Member of the collective head of state
Kamshat Donenbaeva	Soviet Union	Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet	16 June 1974	25 May 1989	14 years, 343 days	Member of the collective head of state
Eugenia Kempara	Poland	Member of the Council of State	18 December 1976	6 November 1985	8 years, 323 days	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, 0 days	Member of the collective head of state
Violeta Chamorro	Nicaragua	Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction	18 July 1979	19 April 1980	276 days	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, 355 days	Member of the collective head of state
Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1981	1 October 1981	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Johanna Töpfer	East Germany	Member of the State Council	25 June 1981	17 November 1989	8 years, 145 days	Member of the collective head of state
Gloriana Ranocchini	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1984	1 October 1984	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Gloriana Ranocchini	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 1989	1 April 1990	182 days	Member of the collective head of state
Elisabeth Kopp	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	21 October 1984	12 January 1989	4 years, 83 days	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, 224 days	Member of the collective head of state
Monika Werner	East Germany	Member of the State Council	16 June 1986	5 April 1990	3 years, 293 days	Member of the collective head of state
Eveline Klett	East Germany	Member of the State Council	16 June 1986	5 April 1990	3 years, 293 days	Member of the collective head of state
Edda Ceccoli	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 1991	1 April 1992	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Biljana Plavšić	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	1 March 1992	9 April 1992	39 days	Member of the collective head of state
Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović^[14]	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	24 December 1992	5 October 1996	3 years, 286 days	Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Dreifuss	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 April 1993	31 December 2002	9 years, 296 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Patrizia Busignani	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1993	1 October 1993	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Ruth Metzler	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 January 1999	31 December 2003	4 years, 364 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Rosa Zafferani	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 1999	1 October 1999	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Rosa Zafferani	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2008	1 October 2008	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Maria Domenica Michelotti	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2000	1 October 2000	183 days	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	8 years, 364 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Valeria Ciavatta	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2003	1 April 2004	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Valeria Ciavatta	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2014	1 October 2014	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Fausta Morganti	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2005	1 October 2005	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Doris Leuthard	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 August 2006	31 December 2018	12 years, 152 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 January 2008	31 December 2015	7 years, 364 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Assunta Meloni	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2008	1 April 2009	182 days	Member of the collective head of state
Simonetta Sommaruga	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 November 2010	31 December 2022	12 years, 60 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Maria Luisa Berti	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2011	1 October 2011	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Maria Luisa Berti	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2022	1 April 2023	182 days	Member of the collective head of state
Denise Bronzetti	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2012	1 April 2013	182 days	Member of the collective head of state
Antonella Mularoni	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2013	1 October 2013	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Anna Maria Muccioli	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2013	1 April 2014	182 days	Member of the collective head of state
Lorella Stefanelli	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2015	1 April 2016	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Mimma Zavoli	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2017	1 October 2017	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Vanessa D'Ambrosio	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2017	1 October 2017	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Karin Keller-Sutter	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 January 2019	Incumbent	5 years, 156 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Viola Amherd	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 January 2019	Incumbent	5 years, 156 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Aisha Musa el-Said^[15]	Sudan	Member of the Sovereignty Council	21 August 2019	21 May 2021^[16]	1 year, 273 days	Member of the collective head of state
Raja Nicola	Sudan	Member of the Sovereignty Council	21 August 2019	Incumbent^[17]	4 years, 289 days	Member of the collective head of state
Mariella Mularoni	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 October 2019	1 April 2020	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Grazia Zafferani	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2020	1 October 2020	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Željka Cvijanović	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Serb Member of the Presidency	16 November 2022	Incumbent	1 year, 202 days	Member of the collective head of state
Élisabeth Baume-Schneider	Switzerland	Member of the Swiss Federal Council	1 January 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 156 days	Member of the collective head of state and government
Adele Tonnini	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2023	1 October 2023	183 days	Member of the collective head of state
Milena Gasperoni	San Marino	Captain Regent	1 April 2024	Incumbent	65 days	Member of the collective head of state

Female viceregal representatives

Incumbent

Below are women who have been appointed representatives of heads of state, such as female governors-general and French representatives of Andorra. As governors-general are appointed representatives of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (currently Charles III) and the French Representatives of Andorra are appointed representatives of the French Co-Prince of Andorra (currently Emmanuel Macron), they act as heads of state and carry out on a regular basis the functions and duties associated with such a role in the Commonwealth realms (excluding the United Kingdom, which has no governor-general, as the monarch of the Commonwealth realms primarily resides there) and Andorra, respectively.

Name	Country	Office	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length
Elmira Minita Gordon	Belize	Governor-General	21 September 1981	17 November 1993	12 years, 57 days
Jeanne Sauvé	Canada	Governor General	14 May 1984	29 January 1990	5 years, 260 days
Nita Barrow	Barbados	Governor-General	6 June 1990	19 December 1995	5 years, 196 days
Catherine Tizard	New Zealand	Governor-General	13 December 1990	21 March 1996	5 years, 99 days
Pearlette Louisy	Saint Lucia	Governor-General	17 September 1997	31 December 2017	20 years, 105 days
Adrienne Clarkson	Canada	Governor General	7 October 1999	27 September 2005	5 years, 324 days
Silvia Cartwright	New Zealand	Governor-General	4 April 2001	4 August 2006	5 years, 122 days
Ivy Dumont	The Bahamas	Governor-General	11 November 2001	30 November 2005	4 years, 19 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, 110 days
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, 204 days
Sylvie Hubac	Andorra	Representative of the French Co-Prince	15 May 2012	5 January 2015	2 years, 235 days
Cécile La Grenade	Grenada	Governor-General	7 May 2013	Incumbent	11 years, 29 days
Marguerite Pindling	The Bahamas	Governor-General	8 July 2014	28 June 2019	4 years, 355 days
Patsy Reddy	New Zealand	Governor-General	28 September 2016	28 September 2021	5 years, 0 days
Julie Payette	Canada	Governor General	2 October 2017	21 January 2021	3 years, 111 days
Sandra Mason	Barbados	Governor-General	8 January 2018	30 November 2021 (became inaugural president)	3 years, 326 days
Susan Dougan	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Governor-General	1 August 2019	Incumbent	4 years, 309 days
Froyla Tzalam	Belize	Governor-General	27 May 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 9 days
Mary Simon	Canada	Governor General	26 July 2021	Incumbent	2 years, 315 days
Cindy Kiro	New Zealand	Governor-General	21 October 2021	Incumbent	2 years, 228 days
Marcella Liburd	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Governor-General	1 February 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 125 days
Cynthia A. Pratt	The Bahamas	Governor-General	1 September 2023	Incumbent	278 days
Sam Mostyn	Australia	Governor-General	1 July 2024	Appointed	−26 days

Acting female viceregal representatives

This list includes women appointed as viceregal representatives in an acting capacity, wherein they assumed a vacated office on a temporary basis.

Incumbent

Name	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	91 days
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, 146 days
Helen Winkelmann	New Zealand	Administrator of the Government (Acting Governor-General)	28 September 2021	21 October 2021	23 days

Notes

^ Heads of government of constitutional monarchies without a vice-regal representative are included.
^ As of 2024, there is one female monarch of a sovereign state, Ntfombi of Eswatini (as Queen Mother and co-head of state with her son, King Mswati III).
^ Tannu Tuva was a partially recognized state which existed between 1921 and 1944. Only the Soviet Union and Mongolia recognized its independence, and it was later absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1944.
^ Transkei was a partially recognized state which existed between 1976 and 1994. The only United Nations member state that recognized its independence was South Africa, and it was later reabsorbed into South Africa in 1994.
^ ^a ^b Transnistria is an unrecognized state which declared its independence in 1990. It does not have any international recognition as an independent nation by United Nations member states, and is considered by the international community to be part of the Republic of Moldova.
^ Northern Cyprus is a partially recognized de facto state. Only Turkey recognizes its independence, while the remainder of the international community considers it to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
^ The political status of Taiwan is contentious. The Republic of China (Taiwan) maintains diplomatic relations with 13 United Nations member states, and has unofficial relations with 59 UN member states. The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan as a province of China.
^
Constitution of Gabon^[9]

Title II: The Executive Power, I. Of the President of the Republic, Article 8
- The President of the Republic is the Chief of State; he or she ensures respect of the Constitution; the President assures, by his or her determination, the regular function of public powers as well as the continuity of the State.
- The President determines, in concert with the Government, the policies of the Nation.
- The President is the supreme bearer of executive power, which he or she shares with the Prime Minister.
Title II: The Executive Power, II. Of the Government, Articles 29 and 31
- The Prime Minister directs the actions of the Government. He or she assures the execution of the laws. According to the conditions of Article 20 mentioned above, the Prime Minister exercises regulatory power and nominates civil and military posts of the State.
- The Government is composed of the Prime Minister and other members of Government.
- The Prime Minister is the Chief of Government.
^
Constitution of Togo^[10]

Article 78
- The Prime Minister is the head of the Government. He directs the action of the Government and coordinates the functions of the other members. He presides over the Committees of Defense.
- Before his entry into office, the Prime Minister presents before the National Assembly the program of action of his Government.
- The National Assembly accords its confidence to him by a vote with the absolute majority of its members.

References

^ "Khertek Anchimaa Toka: the world's first female head of state". The Times. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "6 of the First Women Heads of State". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
^ "From the archive, 22 July 1960: Sri Lanka elects world's first woman prime minister". From the Guardian archive. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
^ Cords, Suzanne (4 February 2021). "Isabel Peron turns 90". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
^ Einarsdóttir, Gréta Sigríður (15 April 2020). "Vigdís Finnbogadóttir's 90th Birthday". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
^ Burns, John F. (28 December 2007). "Benazir Bhutto, 54, Who Weathered Pakistan's Political Storm for 3 Decades, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
^ Khan, M Ilyas (21 June 2018). "Ardern and Bhutto: Two different pregnancies in power". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^ "Survey: Sheikh Hasina tops as longest serving female leader in world". Dhaka Tribune. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
^ "Gabon's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2011" (PDF). constituteproject.org. 2011.
^ "Togo's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2007" (PDF). constituteproject.org. 2007.
^ "No wars, no drama for Matsepe-Casaburri". IOL News. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
^ Chikane, Frank (28 April 2012). "Emotional farewell as Mbeki holds last cabinet meeting". Daily Nation. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
^ Sullivan, Kate (19 November 2021). "For 85 minutes, Kamala Harris became the first woman with presidential power". CNN. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
^ "Institucije BiH u periodu 1992-1996: Ko su bili članovi Predsjedništva, premijeri i ministri RBiH". Faktor.ba (in Bosnian). 22 May 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
^ "FFC finally agree on nominees for Sudan's Sovereign Council". Sudan Tribune. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
^ "Woman on Sudan's ruling council quits, saying civilians are being ignored". Reuters. 22 May 2021.
^ The council was briefly dissolved from October to November 2021 as a result of the 2021 Sudan coup d'état. Nicola was restored to her position after the council was reconstituted in November. Source: "Sudan coup leader restores restructured Sovereignty Council". Radio Dabanga. Khartoum. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2023.