Which countries have had a female leader?

Nov 13, 2015

Niall McCarthy

Data Journalist, Statista

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Since Sri Lanka’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected the world’s first female leader back in 1960, there have been a total of 63 female presidents and prime ministers. The map below was compiled using Pew Research data from 2014 and illustrates the years served by female heads of state across the world.

Iceland’s Vigdís Finnbogadóttir served as the country’s president from 1980 to 1996. Europe’s first female president, she remains the longest-serving elected female head of state of any country to date.

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Author: Niall McCarthy is a Media Relations Manager at Statista.

Image: REUTERS

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