Rank Image Name Country Title Term began Term ended Term length Fidel Castro Cuba First Secretary Prime Minister President 000000001959 - 02 - 16 - 0000 16 February 1959 000000002011 - 04 - 19 - 0000 19 April 2011 7004190550000000000 ♠ 52 years, 62 days 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 Generalissimo 000000001945 - 12 - 17 - 0000 17 December 1945 000000001994 - 07 - 08 - 0000 8 July 1994 7004177350000000000 ♠ 48 years, 203 days Chiang Kai - shek Republic of China (1912 -- 1949) Republic of China on Taiwan (1949 -- present) Chairman of the National Government Premier Director - General of the Kuomintang Generalissimo President 000000001926 - 07 - 09 - 0000 9 July 1926 (1st time) 000000001932 - 03 - 06 - 0000 6 March 1932 (2nd time) 000000001950 - 03 - 01 - 0000 1 March 1950 (3rd time) 000000001931 - 12 - 15 - 0000 15 December 1931 (1st time) 000000001949 - 01 - 21 - 0000 21 January 1949 (2nd time) 000000001975 - 04 - 05 - 0000 5 April 1975 (3rd time) 47 years, 149 days (22 years, 114 days in Mainland China) (7003916600000000000 ♠ 25 years, 35 days on Taiwan) Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal Mongolian People 's Republic General Secretary Prime Minister President 000000001940 - 04 - 08 - 0000 8 April 1940 000000001984 - 08 - 23 - 0000 23 August 1984 7004162080000000000 ♠ 44 years, 137 days Paul Biya Cameroon Prime Minister President 000000001975 - 06 - 30 - 0000 30 June 1975 present 7004155700000000000 ♠ 42 years, 229 days 6 Omar Bongo Gabon President Vice-President 000000001966 - 11 - 12 - 0000 12 November 1966 000000002009 - 05 - 06 - 0000 6 May 2009 7004155160000000000 ♠ 42 years, 175 days 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 - 0000 1 September 1969 000000002011 - 10 - 20 - 0000 20 October 2011 7004153890000000000 ♠ 42 years, 49 days 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 - 0000 24 October 1944 000000001985 - 04 - 11 - 0000 11 April 1985 7004147790000000000 ♠ 40 years, 169 days 9 Mohamed Abdelaziz Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic General Secretary President 000000001976 - 08 - 30 - 0000 30 August 1976 000000002016 - 05 - 31 - 0000 31 May 2016 7004145190000000000 ♠ 39 years, 275 days 10 Francisco Franco Spanish State Generalísimo Head of State Caudillo Prime Minister 000000001936 - 10 - 01 - 0000 1 October 1936 000000001975 - 11 - 20 - 0000 20 November 1975 7004142940000000000 ♠ 39 years, 50 days 11 Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Equatorial Guinea Chairman of the Supreme Military Council President 000000001979 - 08 - 03 - 0000 3 August 1979 present 7004140750000000000 ♠ 38 years, 195 days 12 José Eduardo dos Santos People 's Republic of Angola Angola President and Chairman of the MPLA State President 000000001979 - 09 - 10 - 0000 10 September 1979 000000002017 - 09 - 26 - 0000 26 September 2017 7004138960000000000 ♠ 38 years, 16 days 13 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 - 0000 1 April 1919 (1st time) 000000001932 - 03 - 09 - 0000 9 March 1932 (2nd time) 000000001951 - 06 - 13 - 0000 13 June 1951 (3rd time) 000000001957 - 03 - 20 - 0000 20 March 1957 (4th time) 000000001959 - 06 - 25 - 0000 25 June 1959 (5th time) 000000001922 - 01 - 09 - 0000 9 January 1922 (1st time) 000000001948 - 02 - 18 - 0000 18 February 1948 (2nd time) 000000001954 - 06 - 02 - 0000 2 June 1954 (3rd time) 000000001959 - 06 - 23 - 0000 23 June 1959 (4th time) 000000001973 - 06 - 24 - 0000 24 June 1973 (5th time) 37 years, 347 days 14 Gnassingbé Eyadéma Togo President 000000001967 - 04 - 14 - 0000 14 April 1967 000000002005 - 02 - 05 - 0000 5 February 2005 7004138120000000000 ♠ 37 years, 297 days 15 Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe Prime Minister Party President and First Secretary State President 000000001980 - 04 - 18 - 0000 18 April 1980 000000002017 - 11 - 21 - 0000 21 November 2017 7004137310000000000 ♠ 37 years, 217 days 16 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 - 0000 29 November 1943 000000001980 - 05 - 04 - 0000 4 May 1980 7004133060000000000 ♠ 36 years, 157 days 17 Ali Khamenei Iran President Supreme Leader 000000001981 - 10 - 13 - 0000 13 October 1981 present 7004132730000000000 ♠ 36 years, 124 days 18 António de Oliveira Salazar Second Portuguese Republic President of the Council of Ministers 000000001932 - 07 - 05 - 0000 5 July 1932 000000001968 - 09 - 25 - 0000 25 September 1968 7004132310000000000 ♠ 36 years, 82 days 19 Todor Zhivkov People 's Republic of Bulgaria General Secretary Prime Minister Chairman of the State Council 000000001954 - 03 - 04 - 0000 4 March 1954 000000001989 - 11 - 17 - 0000 17 November 1989 7004130420000000000 ♠ 35 years, 258 days 20 Alfredo Stroessner Paraguay President 000000001954 - 05 - 04 - 0000 4 May 1954 000000001989 - 02 - 03 - 0000 3 February 1989 7004126940000000000 ♠ 34 years, 275 days 21 Denis Sassou Nguesso People 's Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo President of the Central Committee State President 000000001979 - 02 - 08 - 0000 8 February 1979 (1st time) 000000001997 - 10 - 25 - 0000 25 October 1997 (2nd time) 000000001992 - 08 - 31 - 0000 31 August 1992 (1st time) present (2nd time) 7004123700000000000 ♠ 33 years, 317 days 22 Ali Abdullah Saleh North Yemen Yemen President of North Yemen President 000000001978 - 06 - 24 - 0000 24 June 1978 000000002012 - 02 - 25 - 0000 25 February 2012 7004122750000000000 ♠ 33 years, 222 days (7003794900000000000 ♠ 21 years, 279 days after unification) 23 Félix Houphouët - Boigny Côte d'Ivoire Prime Minister President 000000001960 - 08 - 07 - 0000 7 August 1960 000000001993 - 12 - 07 - 0000 7 December 1993 7004121750000000000 ♠ 33 years, 122 days 24 Hun Sen People 's Republic of Kampuchea State of Cambodia Cambodia Prime Minister 000000001984 - 12 - 31 - 0000 31 December 1984 present 7004120980000000000 ♠ 33 years, 45 days 25 Dawda Jawara The Gambia Prime Minister President 000000001962 - 06 - 12 - 0000 12 June 1962 000000001994 - 07 - 22 - 0000 22 July 1994 7004117280000000000 ♠ 32 years, 40 days 26 Yoweri Museveni Uganda President 000000001986 - 01 - 26 - 0000 26 January 1986 present 7004117070000000000 ♠ 32 years, 19 days 27 Phạm Văn Đồng North Vietnam Vietnam Prime Minister 000000001955 - 09 - 20 - 0000 20 September 1955 000000001987 - 06 - 18 - 0000 18 June 1987 7004115940000000000 ♠ 31 years, 271 days 28 János Kádár Hungarian People 's Republic General Secretary Prime Minister 000000001956 - 10 - 25 - 0000 25 October 1956 000000001988 - 05 - 27 - 0000 27 May 1988 7004115370000000000 ♠ 31 years, 215 days 29 Habib Bourguiba Tunisia Prime Minister President 000000001956 - 04 - 11 - 0000 11 April 1956 000000001987 - 11 - 07 - 0000 7 November 1987 7004115320000000000 ♠ 31 years, 210 days 30 Lee Kuan Yew Singapore Prime Minister 000000001959 - 06 - 05 - 0000 5 June 1959 000000001990 - 11 - 28 - 0000 28 November 1990 7004114990000000000 ♠ 31 years, 176 days (as Prime Minister) (7004189780000000000 ♠ 51 years, 350 days as a Member of the Cabinet) 31 Mobutu Sese Seko Democratic Republic of the Congo Zaire President 000000001965 - 11 - 24 - 0000 24 November 1965 000000001997 - 05 - 16 - 0000 16 May 1997 7004114960000000000 ♠ 31 years, 173 days 32 Hastings Kamuzu Banda Malaŵi Prime Minister President 000000001963 - 02 - 01 - 0000 1 February 1963 000000001994 - 05 - 21 - 0000 21 May 1994 7004114320000000000 ♠ 31 years, 109 days 33 Rafael Trujillo Dominican Republic President Generalísimo 000000001930 - 03 - 03 - 0000 3 March 1930 000000001961 - 05 - 30 - 0000 30 May 1961 7004114110000000000 ♠ 31 years, 88 days 34 Suharto Indonesia President 000000001967 - 03 - 12 - 0000 12 March 1967 000000001998 - 05 - 21 - 0000 21 May 1998 7004113930000000000 ♠ 31 years, 70 days 35 Urho Kekkonen Finland Prime Minister President 000000001950 - 03 - 17 - 0000 17 March 1950 (1st time) 000000001954 - 10 - 20 - 0000 20 October 1954 (2nd time) 000000001953 - 11 - 17 - 0000 17 November 1953 (1st time) 000000001982 - 01 - 27 - 0000 27 January 1982 (2nd time) 30 years, 342 days 36 Joseph Stalin Soviet Union General Secretary Premier Marshal 000000001922 - 04 - 03 - 0000 3 April 1922 000000001953 - 03 - 05 - 0000 5 March 1953 7004112940000000000 ♠ 30 years, 336 days 37 Porfirio Díaz Mexico President 000000001876 - 11 - 28 - 0000 28 November 1876 (1st time) 000000001877 - 02 - 17 - 0000 17 February 1877 (2nd time) 000000001884 - 12 - 01 - 0000 1 December 1884 (3rd time) 000000001876 - 12 - 06 - 0000 6 December 1876 (1st time) 000000001880 - 12 - 01 - 0000 1 December 1880 (2nd time) 000000001911 - 05 - 25 - 0000 25 May 1911 (3rd time) 30 years, 106 days 38 Abdou Diouf Senegal Prime Minister President 000000001970 - 02 - 26 - 0000 26 February 1970 000000002000 - 04 - 01 - 0000 1 April 2000 7004109920000000000 ♠ 30 years, 35 days 39 Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maldives President 000000001978 - 11 - 11 - 0000 11 November 1978 000000002008 - 11 - 11 - 0000 11 November 2008 7004109580000000000 ♠ 30 years, 0 days
who is the longest ruling non-royal head of state
Francisco Franco