Political leaders who are at the helm of affairs are responsible for the general well-being of the country. They carry immense responsibility on their shoulders. They deserve fair compensation for their services. However, compensation of leaders of some countries is exorbitant.
Here are some countries where the ratio of political leader’s pay to their country’s GDP per person is very high.
Top 20 Highest Paid Political Leaders in the World as of 2015:
1.) Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore – $1,700,000
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong takes home $1,700,000 (S$2.2M) every year. The salary is more than 30 times that of an average Singaporean. Between 2008 to 2012, he earned $2,856,930 (S$3,870,000) per year. Following the public unhappiness of his high salary, the PM took a 28% paycut reducing his salary to S$2.2 million (US$1.7 million). Even with the pay cut, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is still the highest-paid political leader in the world. more than enough to buy his favorite luxury car.
2.) CY Leung, Chief Executive of Hong Kong – $530,000
The Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the head of the government of Hong Kong. At $530,000, his annual salary is nearly 12 times that of an average citizen of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; more than 27 times the salary of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who earns $19,000 per annum, just 10,000 yuan per month.
3.) Barack Obama, President of United States – $400,000
Obama is the President of the United States of America. He is the head of state and the head of government of the USA. His annual salary is $400,000, nearly eight times that of an average American. The salary of the President of the United States of America was doubled during George Bush Junior’s tenure.
4.) Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia – $345,000
The 28th Australian Prime Minister pulls in a base salary of $345,ooo per annum, after an increased on his salary.
=5.) Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland – $340,000
Higgins annual salary is $340,000; after taking office he requested that his salary be reduced by 23.5 percent from €325,000 to about €250,000.
=5) Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg – $340,000
Xavier Bettel has been the Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 4 December 2013. His annual income is $340,000. He has previously served as Mayor of Luxembourg City. He is a member of the Luxembourg Democratic Party.
7.) Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada – $296,400
PM Stephen Harper is six on the list with a salary of US$29,400 yearly. Most people will argue he is earning too much.
8.) John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand – $290,000
John Key is the Prime Minister of New Zealand. His annual salary is $290,00o. It is around 10 times the salary of an average New Zealand citizen.
9.) Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany – $283,608
Angela Merkel is the leader of Europe’s largest economy. She pulls in an annual salary of $283,608. Many will say she deserve the salary, she is an original architect of the 28-member European Union.
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10.) Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa – $272,000
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under the Constitution of South of South Africa. Jacob Zuma is the current President of South Africa. His annual salary is $272,280. He earns around 26 times more than the average citizen of the country. He is currently the highest-earning president in Africa.
11) Giorgio Napolitano, President of Italy – $270,000
Giorgio Napolitano has been the President of Italy since May 15 2006. His annual income is €230,000. A senior shorthand writer in the parliament earns up to €270,000 per year. The annual bill for operating the lower house of the Italian parliament costs as much as those of nations like Germany and Britain.
12.) Francois Hollande, President of France – $230,000
President of France, François Hollande has a salary of $230,000. The president’s gross salary, which more than doubled under Mr Sarkozy, took a cut to €14,910 a month from €21,300.
13) David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – $215,000
David Cameron has been the Prime Minister of the UK since May 11 2010. Currently the Prime Minister receives £142,500 including a salary of £65,737 as a member of parliament. Until 2006, the Lord Chancellor was the highest paid member of the government ahead of the Prime Minister.
14.) ShinzO Abe, Prime Minister of Japan – $202,700
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, is the head of government of Japan. He takes $202,700 home every year. That is around eight times the annual salary of an average Japanese citizen.
15) Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland – $190,000
Sauli Niinisto has been the President of Finland since March 1 2012. Currently the President receives an annual salary of €160,000.
16) Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland – $188,000
Olafur Ragnar Grimsson assumed the office of the President of Iceland on August 1 1996. His annual income is $188,000. The monthly salary of the President of Iceland is 2,048,229 ISK.
17.) Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea – $187,000
The South Korean president took a 1.7% (3,851,000 won) increase to 196,404,000 won (approximately $187,000).
18. Ma Ying-jeou, President of Taiwan – $184,000
The Chinese President, Xi Jinping’s salary is just about 20% of what his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou earns.
19) Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands – $170,000
Mark Rutte has been the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since October 14 2010. He earns $170,000 annually. The salary of the Prime Minister of Netherlands is €144,000 (including €7887.24 expenses).
20.) Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya – $132,000
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta took a 20% pay cut, his basic salary is now $132,000 per annum while the former president Mwai Kibaki earned $427,886 per annum. That was staggering 240 times that of an average Kenyan citizen. According to Forbes, Kenyatta has a net worth of $500 million.
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