This is a list of reigning monarchs sorted by length of service.
This list includes monarchs who do not reign over entire nations, such as Muhammad V of Kelantan, but does not include former monarchs and pretenders, such as Simeon II of Bulgaria, ex officio monarchs such as Emmanuel Macron who in his capacity as President of France is also Co-Prince of Andorra, monarchs without physical territories such as the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, constituent monarchs such as the traditional African rulers, or monarchs whose position is unofficial, such as Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama.
Hassanal Bolkiah is the longest-reigning existing monarch, having been Sultan of Brunei since 5 October 1967. He became the longest-reigning monarch upon the death of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on 8 September 2022.
List
Rank | Monarch | State | Born | Current age | Acceded | Years reigned |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reigns as of 22 December 2024 T 05:03 (UTC) | ||||||
1 | Hassanal Bolkiah | Brunei | 15 July 1946 | 78 years, 160 days | 5 October 1967 | 57 years, 78 days |
2 | Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qassimi III | Sharjah (part of United Arab Emirates) | 6 July 1939 | 85 years, 169 days | 25 January 1972 | 52 years, 332 days |
3 | Carl XVI Gustaf | Sweden | 30 April 1946 | 78 years, 236 days | 15 September 1973 | 51 years, 98 days |
4 | Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi | Fujairah (part of United Arab Emirates) | 22 February 1949 | 75 years, 304 days | 18 September 1974 | 50 years, 95 days |
5 | Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III | Ajman (part of United Arab Emirates) | 1 January 1931 | 93 years, 356 days | 6 September 1981 | 43 years, 107 days |
6 | Mswati III | Eswatini | 19 April 1968 | 56 years, 247 days | 25 April 1986 | 38 years, 241 days |
7 | Hans-Adam II | Liechtenstein | 14 February 1945 | 79 years, 312 days | 13 November 1989 | 35 years, 39 days |
8 | Harald V | Norway | 21 February 1937 | 87 years, 305 days | 17 January 1991 | 33 years, 340 days |
9 | Letsie III | Lesotho | 17 July 1963 | 61 years, 158 days | 7 February 1996 | 33 years, 24 days |
10 | Mizan Zainal Abidin | Terengganu (part of Malaysia) | 22 January 1962 | 62 years, 335 days | 15 May 1998 | 26 years, 221 days |
11 | Abdullah II | Jordan | 30 January 1962 | 62 years, 327 days | 7 February 1999 | 25 years, 319 days |
12 | Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa | Bahrain | 28 January 1950 | 74 years, 329 days | 6 March 1999 | 25 years, 291 days |
13 | Mohammed VI | Morocco | 21 August 1963 | 61 years, 123 days | 23 July 1999 | 25 years, 152 days |
14 | Syed Sirajuddin | Perlis (part of Malaysia) | 17 May 1943 | 81 years, 219 days | 17 April 2000 | 24 years, 249 days |
15 | Henri | Luxembourg | 16 April 1955 | 69 years, 250 days | 7 October 2000 | 24 years, 76 days |
16 | Sharafuddin Idris Shah | Selangor (part of Malaysia) | 11 December 1945 | 79 years, 11 days | 22 November 2001 | 23 years, 30 days |
17 | Norodom Sihamoni | Cambodia | 14 May 1953 | 71 years, 222 days | 14 October 2004 | 20 years, 69 days |
18 | Albert II | Monaco | 14 March 1958 | 66 years, 283 days | 6 April 2005 | 19 years, 260 days |
19 | Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum | Dubai (part of United Arab Emirates) | 15 July 1949 | 75 years, 160 days | 4 January 2006 | 18 years, 353 days |
20 | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Bhutan | 21 February 1980 | 44 years, 305 days | 9 December 2006 | 18 years, 13 days |
21 | Muhriz | Negeri Sembilan (part of Malaysia) | 14 January 1948 | 76 years, 343 days | 29 December 2008 | 15 years, 359 days |
22 | Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla | Umm al-Quwain (part of United Arab Emirates) | 1 October 1952 | 72 years, 82 days | 2 January 2009 | 15 years, 355 days |
23 | Ibrahim Iskandar | Johor (part of Malaysia) | 22 November 1958 | 66 years, 30 days | 23 January 2010 | 14 years, 334 days |
24 | Muhammad V | Kelantan (part of Malaysia) | 6 October 1969 | 55 years, 77 days | 13 September 2010 | 14 years, 100 days |
25 | Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi | Ras al-Khaimah (part of United Arab Emirates) | 10 February 1956 | 68 years, 316 days | 27 October 2010 | 14 years, 56 days |
26 | Tupou VI | Tonga | 12 July 1959 | 65 years, 163 days | 18 March 2012 | 12 years, 279 days |
27 | Francis | Vatican City | 17 December 1936 | 88 years, 5 days | 13 March 2013 | 11 years, 284 days |
28 | Willem-Alexander | Netherlands | 27 April 1967 | 57 years, 239 days | 30 April 2013 | 11 years, 236 days |
29 | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani | Qatar | 3 June 1980 | 44 years, 202 days | 25 June 2013 | 11 years, 180 days |
30 | Philippe | Belgium | 15 April 1960 | 64 years, 251 days | 21 July 2013 | 11 years, 154 days |
31 | Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah | Perak (part of Malaysia) | 27 November 1956 | 68 years, 25 days | 29 May 2014 | 10 years, 207 days |
32 | Felipe VI | Spain | 30 January 1968 | 56 years, 327 days | 19 June 2014 | 10 years, 186 days |
33 | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | Saudi Arabia | 31 December 1935 | 88 years, 357 days | 23 January 2015 | 9 years, 334 days |
34 | Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) | Thailand | 28 July 1952 | 72 years, 147 days | 13 October 2016 | 8 years, 70 days |
35 | Mahmud Sallehuddin | Kedah (part of Malaysia) | 30 April 1942 | 82 years, 236 days | 11 September 2017 | 7 years, 102 days |
36 | Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah | Pahang (part of Malaysia) | 30 July 1959 | 65 years, 145 days | 15 January 2019 | 5 years, 342 days |
37 | Naruhito | Japan | 23 February 1960 | 64 years, 303 days | 1 May 2019 | 5 years, 235 days |
38 | Haitham bin Tarik Al Said | Oman | 11 October 1954 | 70 years, 72 days | 11 January 2020 | 4 years, 346 days |
39 | Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Abu Dhabi (part of United Arab Emirates) | 11 March 1961 | 63 years, 286 days | 13 May 2022 | 2 years, 223 days |
40 | Charles III | Antigua and Barbuda | 14 November 1948 | 76 years, 38 days | 8 September 2022 | 2 years, 105 days |
Australia | ||||||
The Bahamas | ||||||
Belize | ||||||
Canada | ||||||
Grenada | ||||||
Jamaica | ||||||
New Zealand | ||||||
Papua New Guinea | ||||||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | ||||||
Saint Lucia | ||||||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||||||
Solomon Islands | ||||||
Tuvalu | ||||||
United Kingdom | ||||||
41 | Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Kuwait | 27 September 1940 | 84 years, 86 days | 16 December 2023 | 1 year, 6 days |
42 | Frederik X | Denmark | 26 May 1968 | 56 years, 210 days | 14 January 2024 | 343 days |
See also
- List of current monarchs of sovereign states
- List of current heads of state and government
- List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office
- List of longest-reigning monarchs
- List of shortest-reigning monarchs
- Lists of state leaders by age
Notes
- The country was formerly named the Kingdom of Swaziland until 19 April 2018.
- ^ Letsie III first reigned during 12 November 1990 – 25 January 1995, was deposed, then returned to the throne on 7 February 1996. Length of reign calculation includes both tenures.
- Ibrahim Iskandar is also the currently-reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and has reigned for 326 days (since 31 January 2024).
References
- "Sultan of Brunei becomes world's longest-serving monarch after Elizabeth II's passing". Arab News. 2022-09-09. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- "Queen Elizabeth II has died". BBC News. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-25.