List of longest-ruling non-royal national leaders since 1900

Table columns:
Rank
Image
Name
Country
Title
Term began
Term ended
Term length

Table rows:
cells: 1
Fidel Castro
Cuba
El Comandante First Secretary Prime Minister President
000000001959-01-08-00008 January 1959 [1]
000000002011-04-19-000019 April 2011 [1]
52 years, 101 days
cells: 2
Kim Il-sung
North Korea
Chairman of the North Korea Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea Chairman of the Provisional People's Committee General Secretary Premier President [Note 1] Generalissimo
000000001945-12-17-000017 December 1945
000000001994-07-08-00008 July 1994
48 years, 203 days
cells: 3
Chiang Kai-shek
China (1912–1949)  Taiwan (1949–present)
Chairman of the National Government Premier Director-General of the Kuomintang Generalissimo President
000000001926-07-09-00009 July 1926 (1st time) 000000001928-01-03-00003 January 1928 (2nd time) 000000001932-03-06-00006 March 1932 (3rd time)
000000001927-08-14-000014 August 1927 (1st time) 000000001931-12-15-000015 December 1931 (2nd time) 000000001975-04-05-00005 April 1975 (3rd time)
48 years, 46 days (22 years, 265 days in Mainland China) (25 years, 116 days on Taiwan)[Note 2]
cells: 4
Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal
Mongolian People's Republic
General Secretary Prime Minister President
000000001940-04-08-00008 April 1940
000000001984-08-23-000023 August 1984
44 years, 137 days
cells: 5
Paul Biya
Cameroon
Prime Minister President
000000001975-06-30-000030 June 1975
present
42 years, 332 days
cells: 6
Omar Bongo
Gabon
President Vice-President
000000001966-11-12-000012 November 1966
000000002009-05-06-00006 May 2009
42 years, 175 days
cells: 7
Muammar Gaddafi
Libyan Arab Republic  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council Secretary General of the General People's Congress Prime Minister
000000001969-09-01-00001 September 1969
000000002011-10-20-000020 October 2011[Note 3]
42 years, 49 days
cells: 8
Enver Hoxha
Democratic Government of Albania  People's Republic of Albania  People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Prime Minister First Secretary
000000001944-10-24-000024 October 1944
000000001985-04-11-000011 April 1985
40 years, 169 days
cells: 9
Mohamed Abdelaziz
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
General Secretary President
000000001976-08-30-000030 August 1976
000000002016-05-31-000031 May 2016
39 years, 275 days
cells: 10
Francisco Franco
Spanish State
Generalísimo Head of State Caudillo Prime Minister
000000001936-10-01-00001 October 1936
000000001975-11-20-000020 November 1975
39 years, 50 days
cells: 11
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Equatorial Guinea
Chairman of the Supreme Military Council President
000000001979-08-03-00003 August 1979
present
38 years, 298 days
cells: 12
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Togo
Chairman of military junta President
000000001967-01-14-000014 January 1967
000000002005-02-05-00005 February 2005
38 years, 22 days
cells: 13
José Eduardo dos Santos
People's Republic of Angola  Angola
President and Chairman of the MPLA State President
000000001979-09-10-000010 September 1979
000000002017-09-26-000026 September 2017[Note 4]
38 years, 16 days
cells: 14
Éamon de Valera
Irish Republic  Irish Free State  Ireland
President of Dáil Éireann President of the Republic President of the Executive Council Taoiseach President
000000001919-04-01-00001 April 1919 (1st time) 000000001932-03-09-00009 March 1932 (2nd time) 000000001951-06-13-000013 June 1951 (3rd time) 000000001957-03-20-000020 March 1957 (4th time) 000000001959-06-25-000025 June 1959 (5th time)
000000001922-01-09-00009 January 1922 (1st time) 000000001948-02-18-000018 February 1948 (2nd time) 000000001954-06-02-00002 June 1954 (3rd time) 000000001959-06-23-000023 June 1959 (4th time) 000000001973-06-24-000024 June 1973 (5th time)
37 years, 347 days
cells: 15
Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe
Prime Minister Party President and First Secretary State President
000000001980-04-18-000018 April 1980
000000002017-11-21-000021 November 2017
37 years, 217 days
cells: 16
Ali Khamenei
Iran
President Supreme Leader
000000001981-10-13-000013 October 1981
present
36 years, 227 days
cells: 17
Josip Broz Tito
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia  Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia  Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
General Secretary/President of the Presidency of the Central Committee Prime Minister President Marshal
000000001943-11-29-000029 November 1943
000000001980-05-04-00004 May 1980
36 years, 157 days
cells: 18
António de Oliveira Salazar
Second Portuguese Republic
President of the Council of Ministers
000000001932-07-05-00005 July 1932
000000001968-09-25-000025 September 1968
36 years, 82 days
cells: 19
Todor Zhivkov
People's Republic of Bulgaria
General Secretary Prime Minister Chairman of the State Council
000000001954-03-04-00004 March 1954
000000001989-11-17-000017 November 1989
35 years, 258 days
cells: 20
Alfredo Stroessner
Paraguay
President
000000001954-05-04-00004 May 1954
000000001989-02-03-00003 February 1989
34 years, 275 days
cells: 21
Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Côte d'Ivoire
Prime Minister President
000000001959-05-01-00001 May 1959
000000001993-12-07-00007 December 1993
34 years, 220 days
cells: 22
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic  Kazakhstan
Chairman of the Kazakh SSR Council of Ministers First Secretary of the Kazakh SSR Communist Party Chairman of the Kazakh SSR Supreme Soviet/President of the Kazakh SSR President
000000001984-03-22-000022 March 1984[Note 5]
present
34 years, 67 days (26 years, 163 days after independence)
cells: 23
Denis Sassou Nguesso
People's Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo
President of the Central Committee State President
000000001979-02-08-00008 February 1979 (1st time) 000000001997-10-25-000025 October 1997 (2nd time)
000000001992-08-31-000031 August 1992 (1st time) present (2nd time)
34 years, 55 days
cells: 24
Ali Abdullah Saleh
North Yemen  Yemen
President of North Yemen President
000000001978-06-24-000024 June 1978
000000002012-02-25-000025 February 2012
33 years, 222 days[Note 6] (21 years, 279 days after unification)
cells: 25
Hun Sen
People's Republic of Kampuchea  State of Cambodia  Cambodia
Prime Minister
000000001984-12-31-000031 December 1984
present
33 years, 148 days
cells: 26
Yoweri Museveni
Uganda
President
000000001986-01-26-000026 January 1986
present
32 years, 122 days
cells: 27
Dawda Jawara
The Gambia
Prime Minister President
000000001962-06-12-000012 June 1962
000000001994-07-22-000022 July 1994
32 years, 40 days
cells: 28
Phạm Văn Đồng
North Vietnam  Vietnam
Prime Minister
000000001955-09-20-000020 September 1955
000000001987-06-18-000018 June 1987
31 years, 271 days
cells: 29
János Kádár
Hungarian People's Republic
General Secretary Prime Minister
000000001956-10-25-000025 October 1956
000000001988-05-27-000027 May 1988
31 years, 215 days
cells: 30
Habib Bourguiba
Tunisia
Prime Minister President
000000001956-04-11-000011 April 1956
000000001987-11-07-00007 November 1987
31 years, 210 days
cells: 31
Lee Kuan Yew
Singapore
Prime Minister
000000001959-06-05-00005 June 1959
000000001990-11-28-000028 November 1990
31 years, 176 days (as Prime Minister) (51 years, 350 days as a Member of the Cabinet)[Note 7]
cells: 32
Mobutu Sese Seko
Democratic Republic of the Congo  Zaire
President
000000001965-11-24-000024 November 1965
000000001997-05-16-000016 May 1997
31 years, 173 days
cells: 33
Hastings Kamuzu Banda
Malaŵi
Prime Minister President
000000001963-02-01-00001 February 1963
000000001994-05-21-000021 May 1994
31 years, 109 days
cells: 34
Rafael Trujillo
Dominican Republic
President Generalísimo
000000001930-03-03-00003 March 1930
000000001961-05-30-000030 May 1961
31 years, 88 days
cells: 35
Suharto
Indonesia
President
000000001967-03-12-000012 March 1967
000000001998-05-21-000021 May 1998
31 years, 70 days
cells: 36
Urho Kekkonen
Finland
Prime Minister President
000000001950-03-17-000017 March 1950 (1st time) 000000001954-10-20-000020 October 1954 (2nd time)
000000001953-11-17-000017 November 1953 (1st time) 000000001982-01-27-000027 January 1982 (2nd time)
30 years, 342 days
cells: 37
Joseph Stalin
Soviet Union
General Secretary Premier Marshal
000000001922-04-03-00003 April 1922
000000001953-03-05-00005 March 1953
30 years, 336 days
cells: 38
Porfirio Díaz
Mexico
President
000000001876-11-28-000028 November 1876 (1st time) 000000001877-02-17-000017 February 1877 (2nd time) 000000001884-12-01-00001 December 1884 (3rd time)
000000001876-12-06-00006 December 1876 (1st time) 000000001880-12-01-00001 December 1880 (2nd time) 000000001911-05-25-000025 May 1911 (3rd time)
30 years, 106 days
cells: 39
Abdou Diouf
Senegal
Prime Minister President
000000001970-02-26-000026 February 1970
000000002000-04-01-00001 April 2000
30 years, 35 days
cells: 40
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maldives
President
000000001978-11-11-000011 November 1978
000000002008-11-11-000011 November 2008
30 years, 0 days

Questions about this table:
originalText: who is the longest ruling non-royal head of state
answer: answerTexts: Francisco Franco