Claudia Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico’s president today, thereby adding a country among the world’s most populous to the nations that have been female-led. Sheinbaum will be Mexico’s first female leader. She is also a decorated climate scientist and has been called the “most scientifically experienced climate premier in history”. As a member of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party, she is expected to carry on many of her predecessor’s populist left-wing policies.
Sheinbaum is 62 years old, of Jewish ancestry and has won a Nobel Peace Prize together with other participants of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007. She contributed to the panel’s report that year as well as in 2013 after having received her doctorate in energy engineering and having served as Minister of the Environment for Mexico City. She was also the city’s mayor from 2018 to 2023.
Mexico is the 11th largest country in the world by population and the seventh biggest that has been led by a woman. Looking at a world map of all countries that have been female-led or repeatedly female-led since 1946, the American continent as well as Europe stick out as the places that have seen several female heads of state and government.
In Latin America, more countries have also become female-led recently. As seen in data by the Council on Foreign Relations, additions to the list include Honduras, where Xiomara Castro has governed since 2022, and Peru, where Dina Boluarte has been in power since the same year. In total, 12 countries in Latin America have been female-led, but only Argentina and Haiti have been so repeatedly.
In Europe, there are more countries which have been led by female politicians more than once. This includes Switzerland, which tops the list with five female heads of state, including current president Viola Amherd. The country has an advantage, however, as presidents’ terms are limited to one year.
Scandinavia among leaders
Finland comes second with four female prime ministers or presidents, including Sanna Marin, who was premier from 2019 to 2023. Iceland has also counted four female leaders, with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir having been world’s first female elected president in 1980 and the current president, Halla Tómasdóttir, also being a women. Two more women, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and Katrín Jakobsdóttir, served as prime ministers.
Three females prime ministers each have led the country in the United Kingdom as well as in Poland and New Zealand. Lithuania saw one female president, who is the representative of the country abroad, and two female prime ministers, who share powers with the president. In India, Indira Gandhi was the country’s face as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984, while two of the country’s representative presidents have also been women, including current officeholder Droupadi Murmu.
South Asia stands out as the most female-led place in Asia, with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also having seen two female leaders each—the same number as the Philippines. Southeast Asia and East Asia have seen fewer female leaders, as has Central Asia as well as the Middle and Near East. Africa has also not experienced many female leaders despite new additions including the current prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, the current Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and the current representative President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde.
Charted by Statista
