List of female foreign ministers


A Foreign Minister or Minister of Foreign Affairs is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a nation's foreign policy and relations. There have been many women appointed to this post around the world. This list shows female foreign ministers from around the world, either from sovereign states, unrecognized states, autonomous regions, or sui generis entities. Some countries have varied titles for this particular position, such as Minister for External Affairs in Brazil and India. In United States and United Kingdom, the position is entitled as Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs respectively.
In some cases, the Prime Minister has concurrently served as foreign minister. This is the case with Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike who served as Prime Ministers of India and Ceylon respectively. Guinea-Bissau and Sweden currently have the largest number of ministers, being seven ministers.

Sovereign states


NameImageCountryRegionMandate startMandate endTerm length
Ana PaukerEurope
Golda MeirAsia
Sirimavo Bandaranaike'Asia'''
Indira GandhiAsia
Sirimavo Bandaranaike/Asia
Princess Elizabeth of ToroAfrica
Licelott Catalina Marte Hoffiz de BarrioAmerica?
Karin SöderEurope
Maria do Nascimento da Graça AmorimAfrica
Flora MacDonaldAmerica
Gloria Amon NikoiAfrica
Dame Eugenia CharlesAmerica
Colette FleschEurope
Gaositwe K. T. ChiepeAfrica
Indira GandhiAsia
Adrienne Liyonda'Africa'''
Danielle de St. JorreAfrica
Akmaral ArystanbekovaAsia
Susana Ruiz CeruttiAmerica
Pascaline Bongo OndimbaAfrica
Shahlo MahmudovaAsia
Marie-Denise Fabien-Jean-LouisAmerica
Barbara McDougallAmerica
Margaretha af UgglasEurope
Noemí SanínAmerica
Roza OtunbayevaAsia
Andrea WilliEurope
Motarilavoa Hilda LiniOceania?
Claudette WerleighAmerica
Dame Billie MillerAmerica
Dorothy Musuleng-CooperAfrica
Roza OtunbayevaAsia
Janet BostwickAmerica
Maritza Ruiz de VielmanAmerica
Sy Kadiatou SowAfrica
Lena Hjelm-WallénEurope
Claudette WerleighAmerica
Susanna AgnelliEurope
Tarja HalonenEurope
Tansu ÇillerAsia
María Emma Mejía VélezAmerica
Irina BokovaEurope
Shirley GbujamaAfrica
Madeleine AlbrightAmerica
Nadezhda MihaylovaEurope
Zdenka KramplováEurope
Rosario GreenAmerica
Lila RatsifandrihamananaAfrica
Anna LindhEurope
Nyam-Osoryn TuyaaAsia
Hilia BarberAfrica
Aïchatou MindaoudouAfrica
María Eugenia Brizuela de ÁvilaAmerica
Nkosazana Dlamini-ZumaAfrica
Lydie PolferEurope
Benita Ferrero-WaldnerEurope
Lilian PatelAfrica
Soledad AlvearAmerica
Mahawa BangouraAfrica
Marie LevensAmerica
Antonieta Rosa GomesAfrica
Makiko TanakaAsia
Ilinka MitrevaEurope
Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoAsia
Arta DadeEurope
Aïchatou MindaoudouAfrica
Filomena Mascarenhas TipoteAfrica
Kristiina OjulandEurope
Yoriko KawaguchiAsia
Alda BandeiraAfrica
Ana de Palacio y del Valle-LersundiEurope
Carolina BarcoAmerica
Fátima VeigaAfrica
Ilinka MitrevaEurope
Sandra KalnieteEurope
Micheline Calmy-ReyEurope
Nina PacariAmerica
Fatumata Djau BaldéAfrica
Leila Rachid de CowlesAmerica
Teresa Patrício de GouveiaEurope
Laila FreivaldsEurope
Delia AlbertAsia
Salome ZurabishviliEurope
Ursula PlassnikEurope
Helēna DemakovaEurope
Condoleezza RiceAmerica
Alcinda AbreuAfrica
Kolinda Grabar-KitarovićEurope
Fatoumata KabaAfrica
Roza OtunbayevaAsia
Rita Kieber-BeckEurope
Ana Trišić-BabićEurope
Lygia Kraag-KeteldijkAmerica
Antoinette BatumubwiraAfrica
Rosemary MuseminaliAfrica
Asha-Rose MigiroAfrica
Tzipi LivniAsia
Dora BakoyannisEurope
Carin JämtinEurope
Mariam Aladji Boni DialloAfrica
Margaret BeckettEurope
Anna FotygaEurope
Joyce BandaAfrica
Kinga GönczEurope
Valgerður SverrisdóttirEurope
Ngozi Okonjo-IwealaAfrica
María Consuelo AraújoAmerica
Joy OgwuAfrica
Patricia EspinosaAmerica
María Fernanda EspinosaAmerica
Sahana PradhanAsia
Maria da Conceição Nobre CabralAfrica
Meritxell Mateu PiEurope
Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis MagnoAsia
Ingibjörg Sólrún GísladóttirEurope
Lisa ShomanAmerica
Erato Kozakou-MarcoullisEurope
Olubanke King AkereleAfrica
Zainab BanguraAfrica
Helēna DemakovaEurope
Paula Gopee-ScoonAmerica
Sanjaasürengiin OyuunAsia
María Isabel SalvadorAmerica
Marisol Argueta de BarillasAmerica
Carolyn RodriguesAmerica
Laure Olga GondjoutAfrica
Eka TkeshelashviliEurope
Helen ClarkOceania
Maxine McCleanAmerica
Antonella MularoniEurope
Dipu MoniAsia
Adiato Djaló NandignaAfrica
Hillary Rodham ClintonAmerica
Patricia Isabel RodasAmerica
Sandra PierantozziOceania
Aurelia FrickEurope
Maite Nkoana-MashabaneAfrica
Sujata KoiralaAsia
Etta BandaAfrica
Rumiana JelevaEurope
Naha Mint MouknassAfrica
Marie-Michèle ReyAmerica
Louise MushikiwaboAfrica
Rasa JuknevičienėEurope
Lene EspersenEurope
Aminatou Maïga TouréAfrica
María Ángela HolguínAmerica
Trinidad Jiménez García-HerreraEurope
Michèle Alliot-MarieEurope
Hina Rabbani KharAsia
Yvette SyllaAfrica
Erato Kozakou-MarcoullisEurope
Vesna PusicEurope
Maia PanjikidzeEurope
Susan Waffa-OgooAfrica
Fowsiyo Yussuf Haji AadanAfrica
Netumbo Nandi-NdaitwahAfricaIncumbent
Natália Pedro da Costa Umbelina NetoAfrica
Hanna TettehAfrica
Emma BoninoEurope
Mireya Agüero de CorralesAmerica
Eda RivasAmerica
Amina MohamedAfrica
Natalia GhermanEurope
Léonie Banga-BothyAfrica
Mariyam ShakeelaAsia
Viola OnwuliriAfrica
Julie BishopOceania
Dunya MaumoonAsia
Sheikh HasinaAsia
Federica MogheriniEurope
Arisoa RazafitrimoAfrica
Sushma SwarajAsia
Isabel Saint MaloAmerica
Margot WallströmEurope
Retno MarsudiAsiaIncumbent
Pelonomi Venson-MoitoiAfrica
Anne SullingEurope
Tamar BeruchashviliEurope
Keit Pentus-RosimannusEurope
Clarice Modeste-CurwenAmerica
Francine BaronAmericaIncumbent
Delcy RodríguezAmerica
Neneh MacDouall-GayeAfrica
Béatrice AtallahAfrica
Vatma Vall Mint SoueinaAfrica
Aïchatou Kané BoulamaAfrica
Ana María SánchezAmerica
Marina KaljurandEurope
Niermala BadrisingAmerica
Claudia Ruiz MassieuAmerica
Susana MalcorraAmerica
Makalé CamaraAfrica
Marjon KamaraAfrica
Kamina Johnson-SmithAmericaIncumbent
Aung San Suu KyiAsiaIncumbent
Lilja Dögg AlfreðsdóttirEurope
María Dolores AgüeroAmericaIncumbent
'Mamphono KhaketlaAfrica
Chrystia FreelandAmerica
Shirley Ayorkor BotchwayAfricaIncumbent
Yldiz Pollack-BeighleAmericaIncumbent
Ekaterina ZakharievaEuropeIncumbent
María Fernanda EspinosaAmerica
Faustina Rehuher-MaruggOceaniaIncumbent
Kang Kyung-whaAsiaIncumbent
Marija Pejčinović BurićEuropeIncumbent
Maria Ubach i FontEuropeIncumbent
Sandra JovelAmerica
Ine Marie Eriksen SøreideEuropeIncumbent
Karin KneisslEurope
Cayetana AljovínAmerica
Sigrid KaagEurope
Monica JumaAfrica
Lindiwe SisuluAfrica
Tehmina JanjuaAsia
Epsy Campbell BarrAmerica
Unity DowAfricaIncumbent
Marise PayneOceaniaIncumbent
Kamissa CamaraAfrica
Thuli DladlaAfricaIncumbent
Elsa Teixeira PintoAfricaIncumbent
Lorena Aguilar ReveloAmerica
Sylvie Baïpo-TemonAfricaIncumbent
Karen CummingsAmericaIncumbent
Nabeela TunisAfricaIncumbent
Naledi PandorAfricaIncumbent
Alexandra Hill TinocoAmericaIncumbent
Suzi BarbosaAfricaIncumbent
Ramona MănescuEurope
Awut Deng AcuilAfrica
Asma Mohamed AbdallaAfricaIncumbent
Ann LindeEuropeIncumbent
Katrin EggenbergerEuropeIncumbent
Karen LongaricAmericaIncumbent
Claudia BlumAmericaIncumbent
Margarita RoblesEurope
Bisera TurkovićEuropeIncumbent
Arancha González LayaEuropeIncumbent
Raychelle OmamoAfricaIncumbent
Beatrice Wani-NoahAfricaIncumbent

Unrecognized states, autonomous regions


NameImageCountry/RegionContinentMandate startMandate endTerm length
Nguyễn Thị Bình Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South VietnamAsia''
Naira MelkumianEurope
Edna Adan IsmailAfrica
Maia Chigoyeva-TsaboshviliEurope
Emily de Jongh-ElhageAmerica
Linda FabianiEurope
Aleqa HammondAmerica
Fiona HyslopEurope
Vlora ÇitakuEurope
Nina ShtanskiEurope
Aleqa HammondAmerica
Christine St-PierreAmerica
Emine ÇolakEurope
Suka FrederiksenAmerica
Vivian MotzfeldtAmerica
Ane Lone BaggerAmericaIncumbent
Nadine GiraultAmericaIncumbent
Meliza HaradinajEuropeIncumbent

''[Sui generis]'' entities


NameImageEntityContinentMandate startMandate endTerm length
Benita Ferrero-WaldnerEurope
Catherine AshtonEurope
Federica MogheriniEurope