In some cases they are de facto leaders not occupying either of those positions or prime ministers who are not heads of government. 196 states (193 UN members + 2 UN observers ) are the basic list.
Also there are leaders of 10 other national entities (quasi and unrecognized states, and of 7 in exile and/or alternative governments (only in exile governments that exercised power or succeeded governments that exercised power).
For local rulers, for example rulers of dependencies and of the main administrative divisions, such as autonomous regions, insular or peninsular regions, successors of historical regions or regions with strong identity, regions in the news, etc.) see List of the main local rulers.
Green cells indicate leaders whose offices constitutionally administer the executive of their respective state/government.
Blue cells indicate de facto executive leaders whose offices lack de jure constitutional power.
Note: Names in small font generally denote acting, interim, transitional, temporary leaders, or representatives. Other notes and exceptions are provided at §Notes.
12The President of France and the French Co-Prince of Andorra are positions held by the same person.
123456789101112131415Charles III is separately and equally monarch of 15 sovereign states known collectively as the Commonwealth realms. In each of these states (with the exception of the United Kingdom, where he resides), he is represented at the national level by a governor-general.
↑The high representative is an international civilian overseer of the Dayton Agreement with authority to dismiss elected and non-elected officials and enact legislation.
↑The three-member Bosnian presidency is the head of state collectively.
↑The council will exercise certain presidential powers until a new president is elected or until 7 February 2026, whichever comes first. The presidency has been vacant since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
↑According to articles 89 to 91 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Supreme Leader of Iran is the head of state, and the President is the head of government. The President is required to gain the Supreme Leader's official approval before being sworn in before Parliament, and the Supreme Leader also has the power to dismiss the elected President at any time.
↑The constitution of Japan does not define a formal head of state, but the Emperor by unwritten constitutional convention fulfills the functions and duties of this role.
↑The seven-member Swiss Federal Council is collectively head of state and government. As a party to the Council, the President serves solely in a primus inter pares capacity for one year.
12Charles III is head of state of the Cook Islands and Niue in his capacity as King in Right of New Zealand. He is represented in each of these states by a King's Representative.
↑"Les cohabitations". vie-publique.fr (in French). 7 July 2018. Dans ce cadre [cohabitation], le caractère dyarchique (à deux têtes) de l'exécutif apparaît pleinement, puisque le chef de l'État, élu au suffrage universel direct, perd sa fonction de direction de l'exécutif au profit du Premier ministre, responsable devant l'Assemblée nationale.
↑Sullivan, Becky (18 January 2023). "As its only remaining elected officials depart, Haiti reaches a breaking point". NPR. Retrieved 20 May 2023. The constitutional mandate of Haiti's de facto ruler, Prime Minister Ariel Henry — which some viewed as questionable from the start, as he was never technically sworn in — ended more than a year ago. The country has had no president since its last one, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in 2021.
↑"Sudan's reinstated PM Hamdok promises a path to democracy". Al Jazeera. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2023. The 14-point deal between Hamdok and the military, signed in the presidential palace in Khartoum on Sunday, also provides for the release of all political prisoners detained during the coup and stipulates that a 2019 constitutional declaration be the basis for a political transition, according to details read out on state television.