Countries with Female Leaders 2024

While most countries have been ruled almost entirely by men throughout their histories, more and more countries are electing women to high political offices, including heads of state. According to the United Nations' UN Women division, 30 women were serving as Heads of State and/or Government in 28 countries as of September 19, 2022. Many of these women are earning praise for their innovative and effective leadership and for offering unique and fresh perspectives on the challenges their countries face.

A sampling of female heads of state

Currently, women make up a fairly small percentage of leadership roles in the UN Member States. In these 193 Member States, 21% of Prime Ministers and 26% of Parliamentarians are women. Female leaders also make up 34% of local government positions.

Bangaldesh, Iceland, Italy, Aruba, Uganda, and Samoa are just some of the countrues with female Prime Ministers. Iceland's Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is also the chair of the UN Council of Women World Leaders. This group meets to discuss issues affecting their nations.

Saara Kuugongelwa, now the prime minister of Namibia, was exiled from her home country at just 13 years old. She went on to earn a doctorate in economics. Her fight against corruption, coupled with her insistence on sound fiscal policies, has led to the country’s first budget surplus in its history. Nepal’s president, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, has emphasized the need for gender equality, especially in light of the devastating earthquake that decimated the country in 2015, making women more vulnerable in its aftermath. In Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, a former political prisoner, opened her country’s doors to the Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in their home country of Myanmar.

While the United States has yet to elect a female president, it too is making strides in the area of gender equality. In 2022, one quarter of the United States Congress was made of female representatives and senators, and Kamala Harris is currently serving as the first female vice president as well as the first African-American and the first Asian-American vice president—in U.S. history.