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Being the head of state or government entails a great deal of pressure from both domestic and international citizens; long, exhausting working hours; and comparatively modest salary, at least when compared to CEOs of huge corporations.

However, some international leaders earn significantly more than others. These are among the highest-paid political figures in the world.

Learn more: Who Are The Highest-Paid Leaders In The World Today (2023 By Salary)

Top 10 Highest-Paid Leaders In The World 2024/25 (Based on Salary)
Who Are The Highest-Paid Leaders In The World 2024 (By Salary)

Who Are The Top 10 Highest-Paid Leaders In The World Today - The Highest-Earning Leaders?

(Ranked by KnowInsiders.com in 2024)

1. Bashar al-Assad – $1.5 billion

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader, was reported to have acquired a wealth of approximately $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion) in 2012, despite measures to freeze his assets in the UK, US, and Switzerland. The US Department of State estimates his net worth to be between $1 and $2 billion (£786 million to £1.6 billion) in fiscal year 2022.

Prior to the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the Assads and their allies were estimated to hold between 60% and 70% of the country's assets, including land, energy plants, and factories.

READ MORE: Who is Olaf Scholz: Biography, Love Story, Personal Life and Career

2. Srettha Thavisin – $1.3 billion

Top 10 Highest-Paid Leaders In The World 2024/25 (Based on Salary)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has a net worth of 650 million baht, which includes a 50 million-baht luxury automobile and 38 watches, the Nation Thailand reported.

Srettha also owns a ngan (almost 0.1 acre) and 98 tarang wa (0.09 acres) of land in Bangkok, totaling 158.4 million baht.

The PM additionally has other building assets totaling 156,423,120 baht. They include an apartment in the Hua Hin tourist area of Prachuap Khiri Khan province and a three-story mansion in the capital's Khlong Toei district valued 18 million baht.

He has an Aston Martin DB5, which is worth 50 million baht. Srettha informed reporters on Thursday that the vehicle is a vintage 1963 model used in the most current James Bond film, which was shot in Italy.

He stated that the automobile was his particular favourite. When questioned if he was the most wealthy Thai leader ever, he did not deny it. He stated that he had worked hard for many years, almost to retirement.

3. John Lee - $690,000

John Lee is sixth among the highest-paid government officials in the world. His alleged annual income is $690,000. He was the Deputy Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force from 2010 to 2012.

Monthly salary of Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu exceeds HK$450000, said the Standard Hongkong.

4. Rishi Sunak – $673 million

Top 10 Highest-Paid Leaders In The World 2024/25 (Based on Salary)

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy will become the richest ever inhabitants of Number 10 Downing Street, just as the country suffers from an economic crisis and the government considers tough budget cuts, The Guardian reported.

In May 2022, the couple entered The Sunday Times UK Rich List at number 222, with a claimed net worth of 730 million pounds ($837 million), making Sunak the first frontline politician to appear on the list since its inception in 1989.

Sunak's family's wealth elevates him over the previous richest prime minister, Edward Stanley, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. According to the report, his personal fortune of about 7 million pounds in the nineteenth century is equivalent to approximately 450 million pounds now.

Sunak was asked how he could relate to the public given that he was personally wealthier than Queen Elizabeth. He answered that people shouldn't judge him based on his fortune.

Rishi Sunak - whose personal wealth makes him the United Kingdom's richest-ever prime minister - is entitled to a salary of £167,391 ($327,908).

He also has use of the prime minister's apartment at 10 Downing Street, London, along with access to the countryside residence at Chequers in Buckinghamshire.

5. Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – $600 million

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since 3 August 1979. As of 2024, he is the second-longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world.

According to Wage Indicator, his salary has been published as follows:

Annual: £121,927.00

Monthly: £10,160.58

Weekly: £2,344.75

Daily: £468.95

6. Anthony Albanese - $586,950

Anthony Norman Albanese is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parliament (MP) for the division of Grayndler since 1996. Albanese previously served as the 15th deputy prime minister under the second Rudd government in 2013. He held various ministerial positions from 2007 to 2013 in the governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.

According to Mywage, his salary has been published as follows:

Annual: $643,103.00

Monthly: $53,591.92

Weekly: $12,367.37

Daily: $2,473.47

READ MORE: Who Are The Most Popular Leaders In The World - Top 10

7. Lee Ka-chiu - $568,400

Hongkong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is the second highest paid leader of a jurisdiction behind Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who makes over HK$1.04 million a month. He earns HK$452,200 per month, which is HK$30,000 more than his predecessor, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, reported the Standard Hongkong.

Principal officials in Hong Kong earn more money than many national leaders, such as the departing prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, and US President Joe Biden.

8. Viola Amherd - $505,000

Viola Amherd, president of the Swiss Confederation as of December 13, 2023, earns CHF 456,854 ($505,000) a year, according to the Swiss government, ranking third on the list of the world's highest-paid leaders.

As the leader of the world's superpower, many people would expect US President Joe Biden to be the highest-earning government official.

9. Ilham Aliyev – $500 million

Top 10 Highest-Paid Leaders In The World 2024/25 (Based on Salary)

Although Ilham Aliyev's official annual income as president is only $230,000, his family has greatly benefited from his firm control over Azerbaijan's oil riches. Ilham's kid is purportedly the owner of nine $45 million opulent residences in Dubai, said Celebritynetworth.

There are reports that his daughters own more real estate in Dubai valued at $30 million. Public officials are prohibited from owning private companies by Azerbaijani law, while their spouses and children are exempt. Arzu, the model and TV star daughter of Ilham, is purportedly worth millions of dollars in firm stock and other assets, including Silk Way Bank and Sw Holding. Numerous businesses, including the state airline and the official contractor of the state, are owned by SW Holding.

10. Joe Biden - $400,000

At $400,000. an annual pay, he comes in at number 10 on the list. Nevertheless, the US Code states that the nation also gives its president a $50,000 allowance "to help defray expenses incidental to or resulting from the performance of his official duties." He also gets access to the most opulent places, like Air Force One and the White House.

♦ Wage Indicator shows that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon earns around $340,000 year, only less than German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who makes roughly $360,000 annually.

♦ The president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, makes $330,000 annually. Karl Nehammer, the chancellor of Austria, comes in second with $328,000, and Luc Frieden, the prime minister of Luxembourg, is pictured and makes $278.0.

♦ According to CTV News, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is paid CA$379,000 ($282,000) annually, placing him 12th among the world's highest-paid leaders.

♦ The approximate annual salary of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is £161,401 ($186,685). Despite this, he doesn't really care because, according to The Sunday Times, he is the 222nd richest person in the world.

However, other international leaders do not receive anything at all. Among the worst are the president of Laos, who makes $1,630 a year; Miguel Díaz-Canel, the president of Cuba, who makes $360 a year; and Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, who is allegedly underpaid. Nonetheless, corruption is frequently brought about by inadequate pay for high government positions, particularly in autocratic countries like Iran. Furthermore, even though they might appear to have a fixed income on paper, it's likely that they have millions at their disposal.

Conclusion

A country leader's pay is more than just a number. The nominal value represents the complexity and responsibility that state officials face in carrying out their obligations. Knowing the salary of presidents from other countries helps us understand how the job is regarded globally.

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