▲Abbas was briefly the prime minister of Palestine in 2003, before becoming president in 2005. He has held this position for almost 20 years.

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After the death of Pierre Charles, Skerrit stepped in to become the prime minister of Dominica in 2004. It's been over 20 years since he took the position.

▲She was the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001, and again from 2009 to August 2024, totaling 20 years.

▲Ilham Aliyev is the president of Azerbaijan, a position he's held since 2003.

▲In 1980 and until 1987, Dési Bouterse became the de facto head of Suriname after conducting a military coup and establishing a period of military rule. He later served as president from 2010-2020, totaling 17 years in power.

▲Gonsalves has been the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2001. "Comrade Ralph" has ruled the country for 23 years.

▲Syria's polarizing former president ruled the country from 2000 to 2024. He is part of the Assad family, which had ruled Syria since his father became president in 1971.

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Hage Geingob had three different terms as the political leader of Namibia. He was prime minister from 1990 to 2002, and again from 2012 to 2015, and then took office as president in 2015. He stayed in power until his death in 2024, after a total of 24 years leading the country.

▲Since 2000, Paul Kagame has been the president of Rwanda. He's been called the "most impressive and among the most repressive" African leaders.

▲Keith Mitchell was the prime minister of Grenada for over 22 years. His first term was from 1995 to 2008, and he resumed office in 2013 until 2022.

▲For many Russians, Putin is all they've ever known. He has run Russia since 1999, flip-flopping between the roles of prime minister and president.

▲He's been the president of Djibouti since 1999, when he was elected as the handpicked successor of his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon.

▲The prime minister of Samoa held the office from 1998 until 2021.

▲Daniel Ortega was Nicaragua's Acting Head of State from 1979 to 1990, and has been president of the country since 2007.

▲Belarus' president is a polarizing figure, but he's held this position for 30 years straight, beginning in 1994.

▲Isaias Afwerki is the first president of Eritrea, holding the position since the country's independence in 1993.

▲He's been the president of Tajikistan ever since 1992. Emomali Rahmon has employed his two children as senior officials in his administration.

▲Yoweri Museveni has been the president of Uganda for almost 40 years, having assumed office in 1986.

▲Hun Sen served as Cambodia's prime minister from 1985 until 2023.

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected as Turkey's president for his third term in 2023. Before becoming president in 2014, he had served as prime minister since 2003. His leadership over Turkey is now in its third decade.

▲Denis Sassou Nguesso has been the president of the Republic of the Congo for 40 years. His first term was from 1979 to 1992, and he started his second in 1997.

▲Ali Khamenei is the President-turned-Supreme Leader of Iran. Serving as president from 1981 to 1989, he's been the Supreme Leader since 1989.

▲He's only the second president of Equatorial Guinea, but he's held the position since 1979. He became the second-longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world in 2024.

▲Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020, for a total of 24 years.

▲Shavkat Mirziyoyev was the prime minister of Uzbekistan from 2003 to 2016, before becoming president later in 2016.

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The longest-ruling world leader currently in office is Paul Biya. Serving as prime minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982, he took the office of president later in 1982.

▲The controversial former president of Zimbabwe passed away in 2019 at 95. While he was ousted from the position in 2017, his rule lasted an astounding 37 years.

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Idriss Déby was Chad's president from 1990 until his death in 2021, totalling 31 years. He took power after rebelling against President Hissène Habré.

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The role of president or prime minister is similar to that of a king. While democratic systems of government disperse the decision-making power in a more egalitarian manner than a traditional monarchy, there is essentially still one person at the top wearing the crown. In most democratic countries, the length of time one person can hold these positions is limited to avoid leadership monopolies, but in some places, like Russia and Turkey, certain leaders have found ways to extend their reigns.

Click on and meet the world leaders with the longest reigns.