# List of presidents of Singapore

* Top left: S. R. Nathan was the longest serving president of Singapore.
* Top right: Halimah Yacob was the first female president of Singapore.
* Bottom left: Ong Teng Cheong was the first president to be elected by popular vote.
* Bottom right: Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the incumbent president of Singapore.
The President of Singapore is the head of state of the Republic of Singapore. Preceded by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, the office of president was created on 22 December 1965 after Singapore's independence in August 1965, with incumbent Yang di-Pertuan Negara Yusof Ishak serving as the first president. Under the Constitution, presidents must be a Singaporean citizen, non-partisan, and elected by a popular vote.
Originally elected by Parliament, a 1991 constitutional amendment was made to allow for the president to be directly elected by a popular vote, with the 1993 presidential election between Ong Teng Cheong and Chua Kim Yeow being the first time a president was directly elected by popular vote. Singapore follows a non-executive model of the Westminster parliamentary system where the president serves as the head of state, separate to the head of government which is instead served by the Cabinet, led by the prime minister. In 2016, a second constitutional amendment was made that allowed for a presidential election to be reserved for an ethnic community in Singapore if no one from that community had served as president for the last five presidential terms.
The role of the president was originally ceremonial and symbolic, carrying residual powers, however the role was later given executive powers such as the reserve power to veto certain bills, most notably in relation to Singapore's reserves as a check and balance process as well as revoking and appointing public service appointments among other powers listed in the Constitution.
There have been nine presidents since Singapore gained independence in 1965. The term of president was previously 4 years, with it being extended to 6 years following the 1991 constitutional amendment. Two presidents, Yusof and Benjamin Sheares, have died in office. Devan Nair was the first president to resign mid-term. S. R. Nathan was the longest serving president, serving as president for 12 years.

## List of presidents
### Symbols

$^†$ Died in office
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Prior office | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Election | Results | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Prior office | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Election | Results | Ref. |
| 1 | | Yusof Ishak (1910–1970) | Yang di-Pertuan Negara | 9 August 1965 | 23 November 1970 | 5 years, 106 days | – | Elected by Parliament | |
| 1 | | Yusof Ishak (1910–1970) | Yang di-Pertuan Negara | 9 August 1965 | 23 November 1970 | 5 years, 106 days | 1967 | Elected by Parliament | |
| Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | Speaker of Parliament Yeoh Ghim Seng as Acting President 23 November 1970–2 January 1971 | |
| 2 | | Benjamin Sheares (1907–1981) | Physician, academic | 2 January 1971 | 12 May 1981 | 10 years, 130 days | 1970 | Elected by Parliament | |
| 2 | | Benjamin Sheares (1907–1981) | Physician, academic | 2 January 1971 | 12 May 1981 | 10 years, 130 days | 1974 | Elected by Parliament | |
| 2 | | Benjamin Sheares (1907–1981) | Physician, academic | 2 January 1971 | 12 May 1981 | 10 years, 130 days | 1978 | Elected by Parliament | |
| Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 12 May 1981–14 May 1981 | |
| 3 | | Devan Nair (1923–2005) | Member of Parliament | 23 October 1981 | 28 March 1985 | 3 years, 156 days | 1981 | Elected by Parliament | |
| Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin as Acting President 28 March 1985–31 March 1985 | |
| 4 | | Wee Kim Wee (1915–2005) | Ambassador-at-Large | 2 September 1985 | 1 September 1993 | 7 years, 364 days | 1985 | Elected by Parliament | |
| 4 | | Wee Kim Wee (1915–2005) | Ambassador-at-Large | 2 September 1985 | 1 September 1993 | 7 years, 364 days | 1989 | Elected by Parliament | |
| 5 | | Ong Teng Cheong (1936–2002) | Deputy Prime Minister | 1 September 1993 | 1 September 1999 | 6 years | 1993 | 952,513 (58.69%) | |
| 6 | | Sellapan Ramanathan (1924–2016) | Ambassador-at-Large | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2011 | 12 years | 1999 | Uncontested | |
| 6 | | Sellapan Ramanathan (1924–2016) | Ambassador-at-Large | 1 September 1999 | 1 September 2011 | 12 years | 2005 | Uncontested | |
| 7 | | Tony Tan Keng Yam (born 1940) | Deputy Prime Minister | 1 September 2011 | 1 September 2017 | 6 years | 2011 | 745,693 (35.20%) | |
| Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers J. Y. Pillay as Acting President 1 September 2017–14 September 2017 | |
| 8 | | Halimah Yacob (born 1954) | Speaker of Parliament | 14 September 2017 | 14 September 2023 | 6 years | 2017 | Uncontested | |
| 9 | | Tharman Shanmugaratnam (born 1957) | Senior Minister | 14 September 2023 | Incumbent (14 September 2029) | 1 year, 165 days | 2023 | 1,749,261 (70.41%) | |