Longest-Serving Leaders in the World

Though a single presidential term is typically set anywhere from four to seven years, many presidents stay in power beyond that. Some do so by winning additional terms in free and fair elections. Others cling to power for lengthy periods of time by employing more questionable methods, such as manipulating constitutional and legal institutions; amending a constitution to remain in power is a common approach. Other tactics include creating repressive political climates in which opposition parties and the media are restricted and rigging or otherwise controlling electoral outcomes.

This list of the longest-serving world leaders focuses on those who are currently in office and serve as the head of state, typically as president. Two leaders on this list—Pres. Vladimir Putin of Russia and Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey—have alternately served as both head of state and head of government (as prime minister); they are included on this list, dating back to their first year in office as prime minister, because of the power they have wielded in that capacity. Monarchs are excluded from this list.

Current Longest-Serving Leaders in the World*

ranking		name	country	in office since	notes
*Current leaders who serve as head of state, including some who also previously served as head of government; excludes monarchs and leaders who have served only as head of government.
1		Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo	Equatorial Guinea	1979	Obiang has ruled Equatorial Guinea since seizing power from his uncle in 1979, initially as chair of the military councils that governed the country until the 1982 constitution gave him a seven-year term as president. He ran unopposed for another term in 1989 and has since been reelected several times, albeit in elections that have been clouded by allegations of fraud, other irregularities, or unfair practices. Constitutional changes enacted in 2012 eliminated a maximum presidential age limit and also added a limit of two terms, though this was not applicable to the terms he had already served, which allowed him to run again in elections held in 2016 and 2022.
2		Paul Biya	Cameroon	1982	Before becoming president of Cameroon, Biya served as prime minister (1975–82). As prime minister, he was the constitutional successor to the president, so when Pres. Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned unexpectedly in 1982, Biya was sworn in. He has remained in that position ever since, running unopposed in two elections in the 1980s and winning reelection in multiparty elections from 1992 onward, though the polls were tainted by irregularities. The 1996 constitution included a limit of two presidential terms, but this was eliminated in a 2008 constitutional amendment, thus allowing Biya to stand in future elections.
3		Yoweri Museveni	Uganda	1986	Museveni is a former rebel leader who overthrew the government in Uganda and declared himself the president in 1986. He won the presidential election held in 1996, and since then he has been reelected multiple times, though elections have been clouded by allegations of fraud and crackdowns on the opposition. He has benefited from a constitutional amendment in 2005 that eliminated presidential term limits and one in 2017 that removed a maximum age limit for presidential candidates.
4		Emomali Rahmon	Tajikistan	1992	Rahmon (until 2007, Rahmonov) has led Tajikistan since 1992, initially as chair of the Supreme Council that ruled the country from 1992 until 1994, when he was elected president. Rahmon has been reelected several times since then, aided in part by a constitutional amendment in 2003 that loosened term limits, allowing him to stand for a third term, and another constitutional amendment in 2016 that eliminated term limits entirely.
5		Isaias Afwerki	Eritrea	1993	Isaias has been president of Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa, ever since the country gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, after having been elected to the post by the nascent National Assembly. Isaias has consolidated his power over virtually every aspect of Eritrean life, and the country has grown increasingly repressed and isolated. He canceled a scheduled national election in 1997, and none have been held since then. A constitution that was ratified in 1997 has never been implemented.
6		Alexander Lukashenko	Belarus	1994	Lukashenko was elected president of Belarus in 1994. A 1996 constitutional referendum, widely criticized for lacking legitimacy, extended his five-year term and granted him near-absolute power, and a 2004 constitutional amendment eliminated presidential term limits. He has won reelection multiple times but in elections tainted by allegations of voting irregularities and with other problems noted by observers. Changes to the constitution in 2022 revived term limits, but other changes made at the same time provided Lukashenko an additional avenue from which he could wield power in the future if he was no longer president.
7		Denis Sassou-Nguesso	Republic of the Congo	1997	When Sassou-Nguesso became president of the Republic of the Congo in 1997, it was not the first time the former military officer held that position: In 1979 the military had appointed him to the post, which he held until he was defeated in multiparty elections in 1992. He reclaimed the presidency in 1997 after leading a successful insurrection. Since then, he has been reelected multiple times in elections that have been boycotted by the opposition and some that were marred by allegations of fraud. Constitutional revisions in 2015 included the elimination of the maximum age limit for a presidential candidate and modification of presidential term length and term limit, with the latter point used to argue that his previously served terms did not count toward the new term limit. These changes have allowed him to continue running for reelection.
8		Ismail Omar Guelleh	Djibouti	1999	Guelleh succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, as president of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. Aptidon was Djibouti’s first president after the country achieved independence in 1977, and when he was ready to step down in 1999, his party nominated Guelleh, who was elected later that year. Guelleh has won reelection multiple times since then in elections that have been routinely boycotted by members of the opposition. He has benefited from a constitutional amendment in 2010 that abolished presidential term limits and one in 2025 that removed the maximum age limit for a presidential candidate.
9		Vladimir Putin	Russia	1999	Putin has served as either prime minister or president of Russia since 1999. He was first appointed prime minister in 1999 by Pres. Boris Yeltsin, who resigned later that year and named Putin acting president. In 2000 Putin was elected to the post and won reelection four years later. In 2008 he was constitutionally mandated to step down after two terms. His chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, was elected and promptly appointed Putin as prime minister, and he was still regarded as the main source of political power. Putin returned to the presidency after winning the 2012 election and was reelected in 2018. Constitutional changes approved via referendum in 2020 and signed into law the next year included one that, while setting a limit of two presidential terms, specified that the limit did not apply to the president in office at the time of the change. This left Putin free to be a candidate in the next two presidential elections in 2024 (which he won) and 2030.
10		Paul Kagame	Rwanda	2000	Kagame has been president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as vice president from 1994 and ascended to the presidency after the resignation of the president at the time. Kagame has since been reelected multiple times in elections that have taken place in a politically repressive environment. Constitutional amendments in 2015 paved the way for his multiple terms. One specifically allowed him to serve a third term, which he did after winning the 2017 election. Another reduced the length of the presidential term, but the change was not due to start until after the 2024 election. This change was used as justification to reset the term limit counter for Kagame and allowed him to stand in two more elections, beginning with the one held in 2024.
11		Recep Tayyip Erdoğan	Turkey	2003	Before Erdoğan became president of Turkey in 2014, he served in the then-powerful position of prime minister (2003–14). He served three terms as prime minister, after which the regulations of his political party barred him from standing for another, so in 2014 he ran for president—at the time, a largely ceremonial position. He was elected and was successful in pushing through constitutional reforms in 2017 that expanded presidential powers and eliminated the role of prime minister. The changes were to be implemented after the next presidential election, which took place in 2018. Erdoğan was reelected that year and again in 2023.