List of elected or appointed female heads of state

This is a list of women who have been elected or appointed head of state of their respective countries. This list does not include female monarchs

Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....

, nor does it include female heads of government who are not concurrently head of state, such as prime minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

s.

Below the main list are separately listed female governors-general

Governor-General

A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...

and French representatives of Andorra. As governors-general are appointed representatives of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (currently Elizabeth II) and the French Representatives of Andorra are appointed representatives of the French Co-Prince of Andorra (currently Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....

), 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

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, which has no governor-general, as the monarch of the Commonwealth realms primarily resides there) and Andorra

Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...

, respectively.

List of female heads of state

Italics denotes acting
Acting (law)
In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....

head of state

List of female representatives of heads of state

Italics denotes acting
Acting (law)
In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....

representative of head of state

List of female leaders in exile

Italics denotes acting
Acting (law)
In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity.*The person does not have a mandate....

representative of head of state

Female heads of state proportions

Includes acting heads of state.

Country	Number	Women's suffrage Timeline of women's suffrage Women's suffrage has been achieved at various times in various countries throughout the world. In many countries women's suffrage was granted before universal suffrage, so women from certain classes or races were still unable to vote, while some granted it to both sexes at the same time.The...	Heads of state since suffrage was first exercised	Proportion
San Marino	10	1959	200	5%
Switzerland	7	1971	31	19%
Republic of Ireland	2	1918	8 President of Ireland The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...	25%
Liberia	2	1946	12	17%
Philippines	2	1937	10	20%
Argentina	2	1947	25	8%
Bolivia	1	1952	23 President of Bolivia The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...	4%
Brazil	1	1932	22	4%
Burundi	1	1961	13	8%
Chile	1	1949	10	10%
Costa Rica	1	1949	14	7%
Ecuador	1	1967	16	6%
Finland	1	1906	11 President of Finland The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....	9%
Gabon	1	1956	7	14%
Georgia (country)	1	1918	4 President of Georgia The President of Georgia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Government of Georgia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government...	25%
German Democratic Republic	1	1918	8 Leaders of East Germany The political leadership of East Germany was in the hands of several offices.Prior the proclamation of an East German state, the Soviets established in 1948 the German Economic Commission as a de facto government in their occupation zone...	13%
Guinea-Bissau	1	1977	9 Heads of state of Guinea-Bissau -Presidents of Guinea-Bissau :-Affiliations:-Latest election:-See also:Guinea-Bissau*List of heads of government of Guinea-Bissau...	11%
Guyana	1	1953	8	13%
Haiti	1	1950	21	5%
Iceland	1	1915	5 President of Iceland The President of Iceland is Iceland's elected head of state. The president is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage and has limited powers. The president is not the head of government; the Prime Minister of Iceland is the head of government. There have been five presidents since...	20%
India	1	1935	14	7%
Indonesia	1	1945	6	17%
Israel	1	1948	13 President of Israel The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...	8%
Kyrgyzstan	1	1918	4	25%
Latvia	1	1918	6	17%
Lithuania	1	1918	14	7%
Malta	1	1947	10 President of Malta The President of Malta is the constitutional head of state of Malta.The President is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives of Malta for a five year term, taking an oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution....	10%
Mongolia	1	1924	18 President of Mongolia The President of Mongolia is the head of state of Mongolia. The Constitution of Mongolia implements a parliamentary system, so while much of the President's role is ceremonial, he or she does wield significant political power.-Election:...	6%
Nicaragua	1	1955	11 President of Nicaragua The position of President of Nicaragua was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1838 the title of the position was known as Head of State and from 1838 to 1854 as Supreme Director .-Heads of State of Nicaragua within the Federal Republic of Central America...	9%
Panama	1	1941	27	4%
Sri Lanka	1	1931	6 President of Sri Lanka The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...	17%