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Countries with Presidents 2023

With the exception of monarchies and military regimes, the majority of the world's governments fall into one of three categories: presidential, semi-presidential, or parliamentary systems. In a presidential system of government, a head of state (usually given the title of president) is the head of an executive branch and serves as a check on the power of the legislative branch (such as congress or parliament). The president is frequently also the head of government (the legislative branch) and is always elected by the people, usually via an intermediary such as the electoral college.

That said, the title "president" is not necessarily always used in conjunction with a presidential or semi-presidential system of government. Countries may utilize a presidential or semi-presidential system but call their head of state by another title. Many parliamentary countries call their head of state a president, though the role functions very differently than in a presidential or semi-presidential system. Also, having a president does not in any way indicate that a country's government is fairly elected or incorrupt. Dictators and leaders of one-party states also use the title, such as Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Top 10 Biggest Countries with Presidents (by population)*:

RankCountry2022 populationNotes
1China1,448,471,400Socialist government is led by general secretary, who also holds office of president.
2India1,406,631,776President has limited power.
3United States334,805,269President has significant power.
4Indonesia279,134,505President has significant power.
5Pakistan229,488,994President has limited power.
6Nigeria216,746,934President has significant power.
7Brazil215,353,593President has significant power.
8Bangladesh167,885,689President has limited power.
9Russia145,805,947President also functions as supreme ruler of Russia.
10Mexico131,562,772President has significant power.

* For a full list of every country with a president, see the table further down this page.

Presidential systems vs parliamentary systems

The presidential system has its origins in the United States Constitution of 1787, which created the office of the president as the head of state and was envisioned as an alternative to parliamentary and monarchal governments. Presidential systems are defined by a strong and distinct separation between the executive and legislative branches. Even in governments in which the president is both the head of state (the executive branch) and the head of government (the legislative branch)—which is the usual arrangement—the two branches are separated and equally empowered. This distributes and balances power fairly evenly, decreasing the likelihood that a single person or governmental body could obtain excessive power.

A parliamentary system distributes power differently. In a parliamentary system, the executive branch and its leader, the head of state—who is traditionally given the title of president—are largely ceremonial and wield minimal actual power. Instead, the power lies almost exclusively in the legislative branch and its leader, the head of government, who is typically given the title of prime minister.

Additional important differences between a presidential and parliamentary system are the methods used to select a new head of government, as well as those heads' relation to the legislature. In a presidential system, the president is elected by the people (although usually indirectly), holds office for a fixed term, and cannot be removed by the legislature except in certain extreme circumstances.

Conversely, in the parliamentary system, the prime minister is typically chosen by the legislature and essentially works for that same legislature, which can remove the prime minister relatively easily if so desired. Similarly, rather than selecting a president through multiple rounds of public voting, the legislature typically either selects the president outright or selects the candidates for president, whom the people then choose between.

Presidential systems vs semi-presidential systems

Finally, semi-presidential systems occupy the middle ground between presidential and parliamentary systems. In semi-presidential systems, an elected president serves as head of state and a prime minister serves as the head of the government, but the president (and by extension the executive branch) retains a high level of power. Semi-presidential systems are generally divided into two main types, labeled premier-presidential or president-parliamentary, depending upon whether the prime minister and cabinet are accountable to the legislative branch alone or to both the legislative and executive branches.

For example, France has a semi-presidential system that blends elements of both a parliamentary and a presidential system. The 1958 French constitution established a premiere-presidential system with both a president and a prime minister. The president is elected by the people and then appoints the prime minister and an advisory cabinet, but the French parliament must approve them and the president cannot dismiss them (although parliament can). The president has many powers, such as serving as the commander in chief of the military and appointing government officials, but has little political responsibility. Blame typically falls on the prime minister if policies go wrong.

Presidential and semi-presidential systems are more common in younger, more recently established governments. For example, nearly every country in the Americas uses the presidential system, as do many countries in Africa. However, the older governments of Europe and Asia rarely utilize presidential systems. Rather, countries in those regions tend to utilize parliamentary systems or monarchies.

Presidential systems vs semi-presidential systems vs parliamentary systems

Type of GovernmentNotes
PresidentialPresident is head of state. Executive branch is powerful.
President is usually also head of government (legislative branch).
May have prime minister (rare), but president is still head of both state and govt.
Lead government role (president) is elected directly or indirectly by public.
Semi-presidentialPresident is head of state. Executive branch is powerful.
Prime minister is head of government.
President often appoints PM, but only legislature can approve or remove them.
Lead government role (president) is elected directly or indirectly by public.
ParliamentaryExecutive branch is largely powerless. Head of state role is largely ceremonial.
Prime minister is head of government. Legislative branch holds most power.
PM may also be head of state and may also be called president (somewhat confusingly).
Lead government role (PM) is chosen by legislature, not by public.
Regime type refers to a country's rating in the Economist Intelligence's Democracy Index 2021, which classifies countries according to the degree of democracy actually present in the country.

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Country
Governmental System
Regime Type
Presidential Power
Notes
AlbaniaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
AlgeriaSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state
American SamoaPresidential-Head of state and governmentA U.S. territory, American Samoa replaces the office and role of president with "governor" just as the U.S. states do.
AngolaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government2010 constitution gave president almost unlimited power.
ArgentinaPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
ArmeniaParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
AustriaParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
AzerbaijanSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state
BangladeshParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
BarbadosParliamentary-Limited/ceremonial power
BelarusPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentPresident has dicatatorial power, including appointment of prime minister and power to dissolve parliament and/or supreme court.
BeninPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
BoliviaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
Bosnia and HerzegovinaParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
BotswanaParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state and governmentOne-party rule since 1966. Botswana has no prime minister.
BrazilPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
BulgariaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
Burkina FasoSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateAs of July 2022, president was serving in interim capacity following Jan 2022 military junta.
BurundiPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
CameroonPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
Cape VerdeSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state
Central African RepublicPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
ChadPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
ChilePresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
ChinaSocialistAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentGovernment is led by general secretary, who also holds office of president.
ColombiaPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
ComorosPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
Costa RicaPresidentialFull democracyHead of state and government
CroatiaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
CubaSocialistAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentGovernment is led by first secretary, who also holds office of president.
CyprusPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
Czech RepublicParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state
DjiboutiPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
DominicaParliamentary-Head of statePresident is elected by parliament.
Dominican RepublicPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
DR CongoSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of statePresidential power has waxed and waned over time, but is quite high as of July 2022.
EcuadorPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
EgyptSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of statePresident also has power to dissolve parliament.
El SalvadorPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
Equatorial GuineaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentGovernment is dictatorship in which president wields immense power.
EritreaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentGovernment is one-party totalitarian dictatorship.
EstoniaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
EthiopiaParliamentaryAuthoritarianLimited/ceremonial power
FijiParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
FinlandParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
FranceSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state
GabonPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
GambiaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
GeorgiaParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
GermanyParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
GhanaPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
GreeceParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
GuatemalaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
GuineaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentAs of July 2022, president was serving in interim capacity following a military junta.
Guinea BissauSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateMilitary frequently intercedes in government operations.
GuyanaParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state and governmentPresident wields considerably more power than prime minister.
HaitiSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateAs of July 2022, president was serving in interim capacity following a military junta.
HondurasPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
Hong KongModified SocialistHybrid regimeHead of state and governmentAs a Chinese territory, Hong Kong operates a limited presidential system, led not by a president but by a "chief executive
HungaryParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
IcelandParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
IndiaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
IndonesiaPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
IranPresidentialAuthoritarianLimited/ceremonial powerPresident is second-in-command to the supreme leader.
IraqParliamentaryAuthoritarianLimited/ceremonial power
IrelandParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
IsraelParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
ItalyParliamentaryHybrid regimeHead of stateUnusually, president oversees the High Council of the Judiciary rather than the executive branch.
Ivory CoastPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
KazakhstanPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentAlthough Kazkhstan also has a prime minister, they are appointed by the president, who wields the majority of governmental power.
KenyaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
KiribatiParliamentary-Head of state and government
KyrgyzstanPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
LaosSocialistAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentGovernment is led by general secretary, who also holds office of president.
LatviaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
LebanonParliamentaryAuthoritarianLimited/ceremonial powerWhile the Lebanese president's power is limited, he retains the ability to appoint the prime minister and remove both the PM and members of the legislature.
LiberiaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
LithuaniaSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state
MacauModified SocialistHybrid regimeHead of state and governmentAs a Chinese territory, Macau operates a limited presidential system, led not by a president but by a "chief executive
MadagascarSemi-presidentialHybrid regimeHead of state
MalawiPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
MaldivesPresidential-Head of state and government
MaliSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateAs of July 2022, president was serving in interim capacity following a military junta.
Marshall IslandsParliamentary-Head of state and governmentPublic elects the legislature, which then chooses the president from among its own members.
MauritaniaSemi-presidentialHybrid regimeHead of stateAlthough technically only the head of state, the president wields considerably more power than the prime minister.
MauritiusParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial power
MexicoPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
MicronesiaParliamentary-Head of state and governmentThe president is chosen by the legislature and granted significant power.
MoldovaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
MongoliaSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state
MontenegroParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state
MozambiqueSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
MyanmarParliamentaryAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentAs of July 2022, president was serving in interim capacity following a military junta.
NamibiaSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
NauruParliamentary-Head of state and governmentPresident is elected by parliament from among its members.
NepalParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
NicaraguaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
NigerSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state
NigeriaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
North MacedoniaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
PakistanParliamentaryHybrid regimeLimited/ceremonial power
PalauPresidential-Head of state and government
PalestineSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentPresident appoints the prime minister, whose power is severely restricted.
PanamaPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
ParaguayPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
PeruPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
PhilippinesPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
PolandParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state
PortugalSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
Puerto RicoPresidential-Head of state and governmentA U.S. territory, Puerto Rico replaces the office and role of president with "governor" just as the U.S. states do.
Republic of the CongoSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state
RomaniaSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyHead of state
RussiaSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of statePresident also functions as supreme ruler of Russia.
RwandaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateAlthough Rwanda has a prime minister as well, the president wields the vast majority of political power.
Sao Tome and PrincipeSemi-presidential-Head of state
SenegalPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
SerbiaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
SeychellesPresidential-Head of state and government
Sierra LeonePresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
SingaporeParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
SlovakiaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
SloveniaParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
SomaliaParliamentary-Limited/ceremonial powerPresident is elected by the legislature.
South AfricaParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state and governmentPresident is elected by the legislature and has considerable power.
South KoreaPresidentialFull democracyHead of state and government
South SudanModified Presidential-Head of state and governmentSouth Sudan is ruled by an interim government established in 2011. As such, the president is considered to be serving in interim capacity.
Sri LankaSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
SurinameParliamentaryFlawed democracyHead of state and government
SwitzerlandModified ParliamentaryFull democracyLimited/ceremonial powerKnown unofficially as the President of Switzerland, the country's President of the Swiss Confederation is an honorary position that rotates annually through the seven members of the country's Federal Council, who collectively head the executive branch.
SyriaSemi-presidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and governmentSyria has no prime minister and its president wields considerable power.
TaiwanSemi-presidentialFull democracyHead of statePower of president varies greatly depending upon the person holding the office and the party in power.
TajikistanPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
TanzaniaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
Timor LesteSemi-presidentialFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
TogoPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
Trinidad and TobagoParliamentaryFlawed democracyLimited/ceremonial power
TunisiaSemi-presidentialHybrid regimeHead of state
TurkeyPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
TurkmenistanPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
UgandaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
UkraineSemi-presidentialHybrid regimeHead of diplomacyThe Ukrainian president is not part of the executive branch, but retains considerable authority in matters of international diplomacy and armed conflict.
United Arab EmiratesParliamentaryAuthoritarianHead of stateGovernment is an alliance of seven smaller monarchies, who elect the president from among their own number. Vice president usually serves as prime minister as well.
United StatesPresidentialFlawed democracyHead of state and government
UruguayPresidentialFull democracyHead of state and government
UzbekistanPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of stateWhile Uzbekistan does have a prime minister, their authority is secondary compared to that of the president.
VanuatuParliamentary-Limited/ceremonial power
Vatican CityMonarchy-SpecializedOfficially titled the "President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State
VenezuelaPresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
VietnamSocialistAuthoritarianHead of statePresident is chosen by national assembly from among their members. Presidential power varies over time.
ZambiaPresidentialHybrid regimeHead of state and government
ZimbabwePresidentialAuthoritarianHead of state and government
showing: 151 rows

Which countries have presidents?

Many countries around the world have presidents, but the ten biggest countries with presidents are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Russia, and Mexico.

How many countries have presidents?

Currently, there are approximately 135 countries that have presidents that serve in the governmental system in one form or another.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources