If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, she will be the United States’ first female president. Globally, though, Washington is far behind on such representation at the top.
Foreign Policy surveyed the world’s top 50 countries by GDP. Just seven currently have a female head of state or government (excluding monarchies): three in Europe, two in South Asia, and two in Latin America. The United States—with no female leaders thus far—resides in the same company as China, Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, among others. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College—the closest Washington has come to having a woman in the Oval Office.
Countries That Have Had a Female Leader
Of the top 50 countries by GDP
However, 34 nations (or 68 percent) have already had at least one female leader, and 13 nations (26 percent) have had more than one. Mexico was the latest to join this club with the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum as president on Oct. 1.
Female Leadership in the World’s Wealthiest Countries
Of the top 50 countries by GDP
Female leaders haven’t always taken power democratically or supported gender equality. In July 1974, Argentina’s Isabel Perón became the world’s first female president when her husband, Juan Perón, died in office. The first elected female president was Iceland’s Vigdis Finnbogadottir, who took office in August 1980. (The first elected female leader was Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon, or modern-day Sri Lanka, in July 1960.)
And former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina achieved notoriety not because she was the world’s longest-serving female head of government but because her autocratic rule was marred with allegations of human rights violations, which led to her ouster in August.
Still, research has shown that countries with higher levels of female leadership have greater gender equality, with a 2023 report by the nonprofit Women Political Leaders finding that such countries pass more legislation furthering equality of economic opportunity across genders.
Sources: International Monetary Fund data; news reports compiled by FP staff
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