Ranked: The World Leaders That Have Held Power the Longest

Dorothy Neufeld
2025-02-23 11:44:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

The World Leaders That Have Held Power the Longest

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In the spring of 2024, Vladimir Putin was re-elected as Russia’s president, extending his nearly 25-year rule.

Putin’s rise to power in 2000 ushered in a new political era, following the leadership of former Communist Party official Boris Yeltsin. Like him, many of the world’s longest-serving leaders maintain power through fraudulent elections, systemic oppression, and autocratic control.

This graphic shows the longest serving world leaders as of 2025, based on data from Statista.

Which Leaders Have Been in Power for Decades?

Below, we show the longest-serving non-royal leaders. These figures represent total years in power, with some leaders changing positions such as Prime Minister and President.

Country	Ruler	Years in Power	Region
Cameroon	Paul Biya	50	Africa
Equatorial Guinea	Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo	45	Africa
Iran	Ali Khamenei	43	Middle East & Central Asia
Republic of Congo	Daniel Sassou Nguesso	39	Africa
Uganda	Yoweri Museveni	39	Africa
Eritrea	Isaias Afwerki	32	Africa
Tajikistan	Emomali Rahmon	32	Middle East & Central Asia
Belarus	Alexander Lukashenko	31	Europe
Nicaragua	Daniel Ortega	27	Latin America
Djibouti	Ismail Omar Guelleh	26	Africa
Rwanda	Paul Kagame	25	Africa
Russia	Vladimir Putin	25	Europe

Cameroon’s Paul Biya is on track to become the longest-serving leader since the start of the 20th century, following closely behind Cuba’s Fidel Castro, who held power for 52 years.

At 92, Biya has yet to confirm whether he will seek an eighth term in Cameroon’s 2025 general election, though many expect him to run. His rule has been marked by political repression, corruption, and deadly violence.

Overall, seven of the 12 longest-serving leaders are based in Africa, with a combined tenure of 256 years.

In Europe, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko leads with 31 years in power. In January, Lukashenko “won” 87% of the vote, a record share for the country. While the 2020 presidential election sparked upheaval, the most recent election was less turbulent.

Today, many citizens credit him for staying out of the Russian-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, wage growth has risen significantly, supported by Russian defense orders.

As the world’s third-longest-serving ruler, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei rose to power in 1989 as a revolutionary ideologue. Under his leadership, Iran has expanded its nuclear program while maintaining long-standing hostility toward the U.S. and Israel.

At 85, speculation about his succession has intensified, especially after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi—once considered a leading contender—leaving Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as a possible successor.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic from a historical perspective, check out this graphic on all the leaders of Russia, China, and America since 1975.

The post Ranked: The World Leaders That Have Held Power the Longest appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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