40 Of The World's Highly-Educated Leaders

40 Of The World's Highly-Educated Leaders

We expect our nation's leadership to be well-educated. While sometimes we wish they could connect with their citizens better, being well-versed in various subjects or having a particular specialization in one area can be of huge benefit when crafting national policies. 

Whether their specialty is law, science, medicine, or indeed politics, here are 40 of the world's most well-educated leaders—including one who may have plagiarized his way to a degree!

Angela Merkel

The former Chancellor of Germany has a PhD in Quantum Chemistry from the German Academy of Sciences in Schweinfurt. Before her PhD, Merkel obtained a degree in Physics from Karl Marx University in Leipzig. During her studies, she was approached to be a spy for the Stasi (East Germany's secret police) but declined, saying that she couldn't keep secrets well enough to be a spy.

Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Halla Tómasdóttir

Iceland's President, Halla Tómasdóttir has been educated internationally and holds a Master's in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, now based in Phoenix, Arizona. Halla was a founding member of Reykjavik University in 1998 and acted as CEO of a non-profit before entering politics.

TED Conference, Flickr

Masoud Pezeshkian

The current President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian was a cardiac surgeon before he entered political life, earning his degree in general medicine from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and a doctorate from the Iran University of Medical Sciences. Pezeshkian also served as a doctor on the frontlines during the Iran-Iraq War.

Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mette Frederiksen

Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen has a Bachelor of Business Administration and Social Sciences from the University of Aalborg in Copenhagen and a Master's degree in African Studies from the University of Copenhagen. She has been Denmark's PM since 2019.

FinnishGovernment, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Katerina Sakellaropoulou

The Greek Prime Minister was educated at one of France's most prestigious schools, Paris' Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, otherwise known as "Paris II". 

She has an environmental law degree under her belt and is a regular publisher in various academic journals.

Office of the President of Ireland, Wikimedia Commons

Anatole Makosso

The Congolese Prime Minister also graduated from Paris-Pantheon-Assas, defending a doctoral thesis in criminal international law, earning his PhD in 2010 prior to entering government. He had been a teacher in the late 1990s.

Claudio Centonze, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Abdelmadjid Tebboune

Another graduate of French academies of excellence is Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He graduated from France's École nationale d'administration française (National School of Administration).

State Duma of the Russian Federatio, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Emmanuel Macron 

Another graduate of France's École nationale d'administration française is none other than French President, Emmanuel Macron. Before joining the prestigious French university for civil servants, he obtained a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Paris' Nanterre University, conducting his thesis on Hegel and Machiavelli. 

He also obtained a second Master's degree in Public Affairs, from the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

President.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Xavier Zamora

The current Prime Minister of Andorra was educated in Spain at an ESADE school (a private, prestigious educational institution) in Barcelona: the University Ramon Llull, obtaining a "Master of Laws" and Humanities degree.

Estonian Foreign Ministry, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Anthony Albanese

Australia's current Prime Minister was born, raised, and educated in Sydney, New South Wales. Attending the University of Sydney, Albanese obtained an Economics Degree before joining the country's Labor Party and eventually becoming Party Leader in 2019 and PM in 2022.

Australian Government, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa

The Prime Minister of Bahrain was actually educated overseas in the United States and the UK, obtaining a BA in Political Science from The American University in Washington, followed by a Master of Philosophy at Queen's College, Cambridge in London.

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Wikimedia Commons

Lotay Tshering

Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering and attended three different universities during his medical studies and career, the Mymensingh Medical College in Bangladesh, Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Bangladesh, and finally the University of Canberra in Australia. 

He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and a Master's in Business Administration.

Jennifer Jacquemart, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kiril Petkov

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria received his higher education first in Canada, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Bachelor of Commerce), and then completed an MBA at Harvard University.

Bulgarian Presidency, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

Joseph Ngute

The Prime Minister of Cameroon was educated at the University of Yaoundé in the country's capital city of Yaoundé, where he obtained a law degree. He then went to Queen Mary University in London, obtaining a Master's degree in Law, followed by a PhD in law from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England.

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rodrigo Robles

The President of Costa Rica attended Ohio State University, obtaining all three of his degrees from the same institution: a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Arts and a PhD in Economics. He would go on to obtain a second Doctorate from the Institute of International Development at Harvard.

Julieth Mendez, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sanna Marin

Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin completed all of her studies at the University of Tampere in Finland, obtaining Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Administrative Sciences, graduating in 2017. She would become the country's third female Prime Minister when she took office in 2019.

Laura Kotila/Valtioneuvoston kanslia, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

The Prime Minister of Greece took an All-American education route, unlike his governmental partner, educating himself at Harvard University, obtaining a Bachelor degree in Social Studies, before moving onto Stanford University and earning a Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy. 

He would return to Harvard University in 1995 to complete a Master's in Business Administration.

European People's Party, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ariel Henry

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is literally a neurosurgeon! He completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Montpellier from 1977 to 1981, specializing in neurophysiology and neuropathy, presenting his doctoral thesis in 1982. 

He then went to California's Loma Linda University to complete a Master's in Public Health and postdoctoral studies at Boston University, concluding nearly two decades of study in 1990.

Jennifer Jacquemart, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Viktor Orbán 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán began his studies at the University of Budapest, obtaining a law degree. Later, he obtained a graduate-level Juris Doctor from Pembroke College in Oxford.

Vlada Republike Slovenije, Wikimedia Commons

Katrín Jakobsdóttir

Another (very recently former) Icelandic head-of-state makes our list—Katrin Jakobsdóttir is the country's former Prime Minister. She chose an all-Icelandic education, obtaining a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Iceland in Reykjavik in 1999, specializing in Languages, majoring in Icelandic and minoring in French! 

She went on to complete a Master of Arts in Icelandic Literature from the same university in 2004.

NordForsk from Norway, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Luis Arce 

Bolivian President Luis Arce obtained his post-secondary education first in Bolivia, receiving a Bachelor of Economics from the Higher University of San Andrés, before obtaining a Master of Economics from the University of Warwick.

Fora do Eixo, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva (Lula)

Brazil's "Lula," as he is affectionately known, was a machinist before he entered the political world, receiving a secondary education at the National Service for Industrial Training, where he learned lathe operation. One of the few world leaders without much by way of formal education, Lula is widely seen as a popular "man of the people".

Palácio do Planalto, Brasil, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mostafa Madbouly

The Egyptian Prime Minister studied intensely at Cairo University, obtaining two degrees from one of Egypt's premiere institutions: a Master's Degree in Engineering, followed by a PhD in the same subject.

Sherif M. Alyamany, Shutterstock

Abiy Ahmed 

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia spent time in Ethiopia, the United States, and the UK for his post-secondary education. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering in Ethiopia before pursuing a Master of Arts at the University of Greenwich, London, a Master of Business Administration from Ashland University in Ohio, and finishing up with a Doctorate at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. 

Ahmed was the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia, Wikimedia Commons

Irakli Garibashvili

Another recently-departed head of state makes our list in the form of Irakli Garibashvili, who was Prime Minister of Georgia until January of this year. The Georgian PM obtained a Master's Degree in International Relations from Tbilisi State University in the nation's capital before studying at Sorbonne University in Paris.

Giorgi Kakulia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Arturs Kariņš

The Prime Minister of Latvia, Artus Kariņš was educated first in Annapolis, Maryland at St. John's College, before switching his degree program to Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. 

He would receive summa cum laude from UPenn in 1988 and would graduate with a PhD in Linguistics in 1996, also from UPenn, specializing in automatic speech recognition.

Saeima, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Moeketsi Majoro

Lesotho's Prime Minister, Moesketski Majoro was first educated at the University of Lesotho, earning a BA in Economics, before moving his studies to the United States, where he obtained a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics and a PhD in Natural Resource Economics, both from the Washington State University.

IAEA Imagebank, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Xavier Bettel

The Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel earned his stripes in France at Nancy 2 University, obtaining a Master's Degree in European and Public Law, as well as a Master of Advanced Studies. 

He also studied canon law and maritime law at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece (thanks to a European Union university-exchange program known as Erasmsus). He was the first openly gay Prime Minister in the world to serve a second term in office in 2018.

Press Service of the President of Russia, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dritan Abazović

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović obtained a BA in Political Science from the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia, graduating as valedictorian. 

He would go on to complete a Master's Degree in Political Science at the University of Montenegro before receiving a PhD (also in Poli. Sci) from the University of Sarajevo.

Dritan Abazović, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

Keith Rowley

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of West Indies, and followed that up by obtaining a Master of Science and a PhD in Geology (specializing in Geochemistry), also from the University of West Indies.

U.S. Department of State from United States, Wikimedia Commons

Joe Biden

The President of the United States earned his degrees from the University of Delaware and Syracuse University, earning a BA and Juris Doctor respectively.

The White House, Wikimedia Commons

Pham Minh Chinh

The Prime Minister of Vietnam studied in both Vietnam and Romania for his post-secondary schooling. He studied at Hanoi University first, before being sent to Romania's Technical University of Engineering in Bucharest. He majored in civil engineering and studied Romanian, later earning a Doctor of Law from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

Cục An toàn thông tin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Serdar Berdimuhamedow

The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow was educated at Turkmen Agricultural University, graduating as an engineer-technologist, before beginning in his political career some seven years later, by attending the Diplomatic Academy at the Russian Foreign Ministry, earning a diploma of International Relations in 2011. 

He spent two years studying at the Geneva Centre for Policy and Security in Geneva, Switzerland, earning a post-graduate degree in International and European security.

Presidential Executive Office of Russia, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keir Starmer

Britain's new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer obtained two Bachelor's degrees in law: an LLB (Bachelor of Law) from the University of Leeds (1985) and a BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law) from the University of Oxford (1986).

Simon Dawson, Wikimedia Commons

Justin Trudeau

Canada's Prime Minister used to be a teacher! He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from McGill University in Montreal, then later received a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Alex Guibord, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Muhammad Yunus

Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been serving as head the interim government in Bangladesh since August 2024. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Dhaka University's Department of Economics in 1960 and completed his Master's in Economics a year later. 

He also received his Doctor from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the Congressional Medal of Freedom, and a Nobel Peace Prize.

Chatham House, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Micheál Martin

Ireland's Taoiseach, Micheál Martin has obtained both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political History from the University of Cork in the Republic of Ireland.

Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

King Felipe VI of Spain

King Felipe VI of Spain is one very well-educated man. He received his high school education in Ontario, Canada, before obtaining a law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid. 

He then received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington.

Quirinale, Wikimedia Commons

Luis Abinader

Luis Abinader is the incumbent President of the Dominican Republic and was just re-elected with 57% of the votes in the 2024 election. His education came at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology, where he received a BA in Economics before completing his post-graduate studies at the Hult International Business School in Massachusetts.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Wikimedia Commons

Xi Jinping

China's President Xi Jinping earned a chemical engineering doctorate from Tsinghua University in Beijing. However, Xi has been accused of plagiarizing parts of his doctoral thesis! Though these allegations have been fiercely denied by President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party. 

There are 40 of the world's most well-educated leaders and monarchs. A quick disclaimer that the educational status of these leaders doesn't mean we endorse their leadership styles or policies.

President.az, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons