{"id":8159,"date":"2026-03-02T13:57:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:57:58","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-08T09:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:17:34","slug":"about-a-third-of-un-member-countries-have-ever-had-a-woman-leader","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/03\/02\/about-a-third-of-un-member-countries-have-ever-had-a-woman-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"About a third of UN member countries have ever had a woman leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"From
From left, former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Kristr\u00fan Frostad\u00f3ttir of Iceland, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark. (Sena Vidanagama\/AFP; Ludovic Marin\/AFP; Tomohiro Ohsumi; Jo\u00ebl Saget\/AFP; and Thierry Monasse, all via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Women are currently the head of government in 13 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations. These include Barbados, where Mia Mottley<\/a> was just reelected as prime minster, and Japan, where Sanae Takaichi<\/a> secured her position as prime minister in the country\u2019s last parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Takaichi is Japan\u2019s first female prime minister. This makes her one of 10 women who are currently their country\u2019s first female head of government, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other current women leaders have had other women serve before them. For example, Kristr\u00fan Frostad\u00f3ttir became Iceland\u2019s third woman prime minister in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at how many United Nations member countries have had women heads of government since the first woman leader came to power in 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center conducts research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand the world\u2019s leaders<\/a> and how they are changing. Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data in this analysis comes primarily from the Council on Foreign Relations\u2019\u00a0Women\u2019s Power Index<\/a>, which was last updated Jan. 29, 2026. We updated these figures through March 2, 2026, using independent sources. We only include women who are heads of government, as defined by each country\u2019s political system or constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the country, the \u201chead of government\u201d could be the president or the prime minister, but not both. In limited instances, the head of government may not be the one who exercises the most power in their current government, so they are excluded from the analysis. We exclude heads of state, monarchs, copresidents, joint heads of state and interim leaders. In some cases, the head of government may not have the most power. In countries with collective heads of government, this analysis counts the presiding member.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Would electing more officials from different backgrounds improve policy?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 193 UN member countries, 63 have ever<\/em> had a woman leader. The first was Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, where Sirimavo Bandaranaike began her first term as prime minister in 1960. Within the next decade, India and Israel also saw their first women leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worldwide, the number of countries that have had women leaders has risen steadily since 1990. The biggest single-year increase occurred in 2010, when women led for the first time in five countries: Australia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, and Trinidad and Tobago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, women became the head of government for the first time in Japan, Namibia and Suriname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados is the longest-serving woman currently in office, with a tenure of almost eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

63 UN member countries have ever had a woman leader<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Year each country\u2019s first woman head of government took office<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n