Top 10 Longest-Serving World Leaders
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea) - 44 years
Became president in 1979 after overthrowing his uncle in a coup détat.
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Paul Biya (Cameroon) - 41 years
Became president in 1982 after a seven-year stint as prime minister. Won a seventh term in 2018 amidst widespread allegations of fraud.
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Ali Khamenei (Iran) - 34 years
Became Supreme Leader of Iran in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini.
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Hun Sen (Cambodia) - 38 years
Became prime minister in 1985 and has since been re-elected six times. Responsible for overseeing Cambodias transition from civil war to relative stability.
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Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) - 37 years
Came to power in 1986 after leading a guerilla war against the previous government.
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Denis Sassou Nguesso (Republic of the Congo) - 38 years
Became president in 1979 and has since been re-elected five times. Leads a one-party state with limited political freedoms.
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Isaias Afwerki (Eritrea) - 32 years
Became president of Eritrea in 1993 after leading the country to independence from Ethiopia.
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Nursultan Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan) - 30 years
Ruled Kazakhstan from 1989 to 2019, making him the longest-serving post-Soviet leader.
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Omar al-Bashir (Sudan) - 30 years
Became president of Sudan in 1989 after a military coup. Ousted in 2019 following mass protests against his rule.
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Vladimir Putin (Russian President) – 24 years
Russian President Vladimir Putin who will be contesting for the fifth term became President in December 1999. Due to constitutional reform in 2020, Putin can now contest for two more terms.
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