Who are the highest-paid world leaders at the moment? This is probably one of the most asked questions about leaders around the globe. Without any doubt, being a leader accords any person an immense measure of power and influence to wield. The leadership role bestows a lot of prestige on the person honored with it and places them far above the ordinary citizens on the street. Charged with the responsibility of making major decisions that will affect every person within their territories, world leaders have the power to decide the fate of all their subordinates who look to them for direction and protection. Apparently, this is a very mouthwatering position to occupy and many politicians fight tooth and nail to become the leaders of their different countries during their periodic election seasons.
The question many citizens have often asked is how much these world leaders are paid as annual salaries. World leaders are known to be very powerful but not all of them are rich. This is why many people are curious to know just how much the politicians who rule them actually earn as salaries. Sometimes, false figures said to be their salaries are circulated around the internet, but these end up not to be true. We have therefore taken the pain to compile the list of some of the highest-earning world leaders for your reading pleasure.
Leaders around the world earn different salaries depending on how rich and successful their countries are or on how much the systems of their various countries allow them to take home. Leaders of some of the most developed countries around the world should earn more in salaries than leaders of less powerful nations but this is not often the case. One thing is common with all of them though, and it is the fact that many of these heads of states rake in earnings that far exceed the pay of the average citizens in their countries.
Source of Data Used
A new 2019 report by USA TODAY’s 24/7 Wall Street, has revealed the official annual income of the 20 highest earning world leaders and it is noteworthy that leaders of the wealthiest and most productive countries in the world made the list. However, leaders of less advanced nations also featured therein. The salaries of these world leaders were expressed in U.S. dollars after being converted from the country of origin’s currencies.
24/7 Wall Street came up with the list of the highest-earning world leaders after reviewing some publicly available annual compensation figures. The information that was gathered to determine the salaries of these leaders were gotten from the different country websites, the CIA World Factbook, and even the International Monetary Fund. However, the leaders of certain absolute monarchies including the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei Darussalam were not included in the list considering the fact that very little consistent data about them is currently available.
Some of the leaders who were mentioned on this list of highest-paid world leaders include Donald Trump, Lee Hsien Loong, Ueli Maurer, Carrie Lam, Scott Morrison, Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Sebastian Kurz, Xavier Bettel, Cyril Ramaphosa, Justin Trudeau, Charles Michel, Adrian Hasler, and Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
We will now tell you just how much the world leaders mentioned above earn as annual salaries, starting from who earns the most to who earns the least. There are as many as 20 world leaders on the list but we will concentrate on the first 15 personalities who featured on the 24/7 Wall Street report which has caused some ripples around the world.
1. Lee Hsien Loong – Prime Minister of Singapore
Salary – $1,610,000
According to the USA TODAY’s 24/7 Wall Street report, Lee Hsien Loong is the highest-paid world leader at the moment. Lee Hsien Loong is the Prime Minister of Singapore, a country in Asia considered to be a global financial center.
Lee is reported to earn about $1,610,000 every year in salary. The report by 24/7 Wall Street reveals that this amount of money that Lee earns is more than 20 times the country’s GDP per capita. The salary also translated to 12 times the amount of money Vladimir Putin, the Russian President earns every year.
2. Carrie Lam – Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Salary – $568,400
The next person on this list of the highest-paid world leaders is Carrie Lam, a politician who now serves as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, an autonomous territory in southeastern China. The leader reportedly earns about $568,400 in annual salary. According to the 24/7 Wall Street report, Hong Kong recently increased the salaries of all heads of governments by 12.4% and Carrie Lam’s salary is reflective of this new raise.
3. Ueli Maurer – President of Switzerland
Salary – $482,958
Ueli Maurer is another world leader who made the list of high-earning world leaders. Ueli is the President of Switzerland who is addressed as the President of the Swiss Confederation. According to the 24/7 Wall Street report, Ueli earns $482,958 as an annual salary.
4. Donald Trump – President of the United States of America
Salary – $400,000
Donald Trump is one of the most controversial and most recognizable world leaders at the moment. As the president of the United States of America, he is also considered to be one of the most powerful men on earth. However, he is apparently not the highest-earning world leader as he sits at the fourth position with an annual salary of $400,000. It is noteworthy, though, that the president does not take home his salary because he has pledged to donate his entire salary to charity and has kept to that pledge.
5. Scott Morrison – Prime Minister of Australia
Salary – $378,415
Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister of Australia and is also one of the world leaders to feature on the 24/7 Wall Street list. Scott Morrison, who has had a career in public service for a while, earns $378,415 annually as salary. This figure is reported to be more than seven times the average wage earned by the citizens of Australia.
6. Angela Merkel – Chancellor of Germany
Salary – $369,727
Often referred to as the ‘strongest women in the world’, Angela Merkel also features on this list. As the Chancellor of Germany, Merkel earns $369,727 in salary annually. This salary of hers is reported to be about eight times the average wage of German citizens. An average German earns about $46,389 which is absolutely dwarfed by Merkel’s $369,727 salary.
7. Jacinda Ardern – Prime Minister of New Zealand
Salary – $339,862
Jacinda Ardern sits at the number 7 spot on this list. As the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda is reported to earn about $339,862 as an annual salary. This amount of money is reportedly more than 20 times the economic output of the average citizen of New Zealand.
8. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz – President of Mauritania
Salary – $330,000
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is the president of Mauritania, a country in Northwest Africa which is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. As president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is number 8 on this list with an annual salary of about $330,000. Having spent nearly 10 years in power, he has apparently earned millions in salary since assuming power.
9. Sebastian Kurz – Chancellor of Austria
Salary – $328,584
The number 9 person on this list of highest-earning leaders is Sebastian Kurz, the Chancellor of Austria. Born in 1986 and 32 years as of 2019, he is the youngest world leader on this list. Sebastian Kurz earns about $328,584 as his annual salary.
10. Xavier Bettel – Prime Minister of Luxembourg
Salary – $278,035
Xavier Bettel is the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and he has found his way to the number 10 spot on the list. Luxembourg happens to be the smallest country to feature among the top 10 countries that pay their leaders the most. A small European country, Luxemburg has a population of just 590,667 people. At this moment, Xavier Bettel, as Prime Minister, earns about $278,035 as an annual salary.
11. Cyril Ramaphosa – President of South Africa
Salary – $273,470.00
Cyril Ramaphosa is the President of South Africa and has been named as the number 11 personality on this list of highest salary-earning world leaders. According to the report, Cyril Ramaphosa earns about $273,470.00 yearly as salary. The report reveals that this salary figure is more than 25 times the average wage in South Africa.
12. Justin Trudeau – Prime Minister of Canada
Salary – $267,041
Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of Canada and it is no surprise that he has made it on this list, considering how progressive Canada has been in recent times. The Prime Minister is reported to earn about $267,041 yearly as salary.
13. Charles Michel – Prime Minister of Belgium
Salary – $262,964
Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of Belgium appears on this list too. The world leader is reported to earn about $262,964 as an annual salary. This figure is said to be more than five times what the average citizen of Belgium earns.
Read Also: Top 21 Richest Politicians Of All Time – Guess Who is No 1?
14. Adrian Hasler – Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
Salary – $254,660
Adrian Hasler reportedly earns about $254,660 yearly as the Prime Minister of the Principality of Liechtenstein, a country in Europe that is known for its medieval castles. Before he became the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, Adrian Hasler used to wok as a banker for VP Bank AG where he rose to the position of a division head.
15. Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Salary – $249,774
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is another leader who made the list of the highest salary earning world leaders. Lars is the Prime Minister of Denmark, a Scandinavian country that is known worldwide for having various islands. He is reported to earn about $249,774 yearly.
