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Top 100 greatest leaders of all time

The greatest leaders in history, ranked by everyone, one head-to-head pick at a time. Build your own Top 10 and see it next to the world's.

Pharaohs, emperors, popes, presidents and revolutionaries: 148 people who ran countries, churches or movements, from Nefertiti and Cyrus the Great to Nelson Mandela, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Malala Yousafzai. Every head-to-head pick moves the list; this is where the whole world lands.

  1. Mahatma Gandhi India · 1869–1948
  2. Napoleon France · 1769–1821
  3. Alexander the Great Ancient Macedonia · 356–323 BC
  4. Pope Francis Argentina · 1936–2025
  5. Martin Luther King Jr. United States · 1929–1968
  6. Abraham Lincoln United States · 1809–1865
  7. George Washington United States · 1732–1799
  8. Genghis Khan Mongolia · 1162–1227
  9. Nelson Mandela South Africa · 1918–2013
  10. Elizabeth II United Kingdom · 1926–2022
  11. Cleopatra Ancient Egypt · 69–30 BC
  12. Vladimir Lenin Russia · 1870–1924
  13. Barack Obama United States · 1961–
  14. Elizabeth I of England United Kingdom · 1533–1603
  15. Julius Caesar Ancient Rome · 100–44 BC
  16. Winston Churchill United Kingdom · 1874–1965
  17. John Paul II Poland · 1920–2005
  18. Augustus Ancient Rome · 63 BC–14 AD
  19. Benedict XVI Germany · 1927–2022
  20. Jimmy Carter United States · 1924–2024
  21. Che Guevara Argentina · 1928–1967
  22. Martin Luther Germany · 1483–1546
  23. Charles III United Kingdom · 1948–
  24. Joe Biden United States · 1942–
  25. Xi Jinping China · 1953–
  26. Franklin Delano Roosevelt United States · 1882–1945
  27. Victoria United Kingdom · 1819–1901
  28. Saladin Iraq · 1138–1193
  29. Joan of Arc France · 1412–1431
  30. Henry VIII of England United Kingdom · 1491–1547
  31. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Turkey · 1881–1938
  32. Ronald Reagan United States · 1911–2004
  33. Saint Peter Ancient Rome · 1 BC–64 AD
  34. Louis XIV of France France · 1638–1715
  35. Leo XIV United States · 1955–
  36. Hillary Clinton United States · 1947–
  37. Qin Shi Huang Ancient China · 259–210 BC
  38. Diana, Princess of Wales United Kingdom · 1961–1997
  39. Vladimir Putin Russia · 1952–
  40. Donald Trump United States · 1946–
  41. Bill Clinton United States · 1946–
  42. Mikhail Gorbachev Russia · 1931–2022
  43. Charles de Gaulle France · 1890–1970
  44. Suleiman the Magnificent Turkey · 1494–1566
  45. Indira Gandhi India · 1917–1984
  46. Timur Uzbekistan · 1336–1405
  47. John F. Kennedy United States · 1917–1963
  48. Constantine the Great Ancient Rome · 272–337
  49. Benjamin Franklin United States · 1706–1790
  50. Thomas Jefferson United States · 1743–1826
  51. Otto von Bismarck Germany · 1815–1898
  52. Leon Trotsky Russia · 1879–1940
  53. Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukraine · 1978–
  54. Kim Il-sung North Korea · 1912–1994
  55. Bernie Sanders United States · 1941–
  56. Marcus Aurelius Ancient Rome · 121–180
  57. Mother Teresa North Macedonia · 1910–1997
  58. Richard Nixon United States · 1913–1994
  59. Nikita Khrushchev Russia · 1894–1971
  60. Boris Yeltsin Russia · 1931–2007
  61. Pol Pot Cambodia · 1925–1998
  62. Benjamin Netanyahu Israel · 1949–
  63. Joseph Stalin Georgia · 1878–1953
  64. Mao Zedong China · 1893–1976
  65. George W. Bush United States · 1946–
  66. Fidel Castro Cuba · 1926–2016
  67. Angela Merkel Germany · 1954–
  68. Bashar al-Assad Syria · 1965–
  69. Catherine II of Russia Russia · 1729–1796
  70. Nicholas II of Russia Russia · 1868–1918
  71. Justin Trudeau Canada · 1971–
  72. Paul the Apostle Ancient Rome · 5–66
  73. George V United Kingdom · 1865–1936
  74. Margaret Thatcher United Kingdom · 1925–2013
  75. Pompey Ancient Rome · 106–48 BC
  76. Charlemagne France · 748–814
  77. Louis XVI of France France · 1754–1793
  78. Narendra Modi India · 1950–
  79. Henry Kissinger Germany · 1923–2023
  80. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Turkey · 1954–
  81. Muammar Gaddafi Libya · 1942–2011
  82. Ali Khamenei Iran · 1939–2026
  83. Malcolm X United States · 1925–1965
  84. Simón Bolívar Venezuela · 1783–1830
  85. Kim Jong-un North Korea · 1984–
  86. Edward VII United Kingdom · 1841–1910
  87. George III of Great Britain United Kingdom · 1738–1820
  88. Cyrus the Great Persia · 600–530 BC
  89. Hermann Göring Germany · 1893–1946
  90. Yasser Arafat Palestine · 1929–2004
  91. Marie Antoinette France · 1755–1793
  92. Hirohito Japan · 1901–1989
  93. Peter the Great Russia · 1672–1725
  94. Aga Khan IV Switzerland · 1936–2025
  95. Saddam Hussein Iraq · 1937–2006
  96. Cicero Ancient Rome · 106–43 BC
  97. Andrew Jackson United States · 1767–1845
  98. Naruhito Japan · 1960–
  99. George VI United Kingdom · 1895–1952
  100. George H. W. Bush United States · 1924–2018

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