The role of being the head of state, or head of government in some countries, is one most people aspire to and only few get to do. The job itself involves high pressure from the citizens of the country and from outside the borders, long tedious working hours, and relatively little salary, at least when compared with that of CEOs of large corporations who the government’s policies and decisions impact every day.
Here are the top 20 highest paid world leaders.
Rank | Name | Position | Annual salary |
1. | Lee Hsien Loong | Prime Minister of Singapore | $1,610,000 |
2. | Carrie Lam | Chief Executive of Hong Kong | $568,400 |
3. | Simonetta Sommaruga | President of the Swiss Confederation | $482,958 |
4. | Joe Biden | President of the United States | $400,000 |
5. | Scott Morrison | Prime Minister of Australia | $378,415 |
6. | Angela Merkel | Chancellor of Germany | $369,727 |
7. | Jacinda Ardern | Prime Minister of New Zealand | $339,862 |
8. | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz | President of Mauritania | $330,000 |
9. | Sebastian Kurz | Chancellor of Austria | $328,584 |
10. | Xavier Bettel | Prime Minister of Luxembourg | $278,035 |
11. | Cyril Ramaphosa | President of the Republic of South Africa | $273,470 |
12. | Justin Trudeau | Prime Minister of Canada | $267,041 |
13. | Sophie Wilmès | Prime Minister of Belgium | $262,964 |
14. | Adrian Hasler | Prime Minister of the Principality of Liechtenstein | $254,660 |
15. | Mette Frederiksen | Prime Minister of Denmark | $249,774 |
16. | Stefan Löfven | Prime Minister of Sweden | $244,615 |
17. | Katrín Jakobsdóttir | Prime Minister of Iceland | $242,619 |
18. | Micheál Martin | Taoiseach of Ireland | $234,447 |
19. | Alejandro Giammattei | President of the Republic of Guatemala | $227,099 |
20. | Jean Castex | Prime Minister of France | $220,505 |
