How Long Have Africa’s Presidents Held Office?
Africa has some of the world’s longest-serving heads of state. Leaders such as Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and José Eduardo dos Santos have been in power for over 30 years.
It’s also a continent of change. Across Africa, 25 presidents have held office for five years or less. A dozen presidents have assumed office in the last two years.
Use this map and chart to explore how long each sitting president has held power.
Researched and produced by:
Salem Solomon, Web Producer, Voice of AmericaCasey Frechette, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida St. Petersburg
Decade Office Was Assumed
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'70s '80s '90s '00s '10sBy the Numbers
10.29
The average number of years sitting African presidents have held office
36
The number of years Africa’s longest-serving sitting president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, has held office
25
The number of African presidents who have served for five years or less
65
The average age of sitting African presidents
Length of Terms
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Why Are Some Countries Missing?
Morocco, Lesotho and Swaziland are monarchies and have no presidents. Libya’s government is, at present, disputed. In general, determinations on what qualifies as a country were based on the criteria outlined by Africa Check.