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.

Sovereign states

  Denotes incumbent foreign minister
Name Image Country Continent Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Ana Pauker  Romania Europe 30 December 1947 9 July 1952 4 years, 192 days
Golda Meir  Israel Asia 18 June 1956 12 January 1966 9 years, 208 days
Sirimavo Bandaranaike  Ceylon Asia 21 July 1960 27 March 1965 4 years, 249 days
Indira Gandhi  India Asia 22 August 1967 14 March 1969 1 year, 204 days
Sirimavo Bandaranaike  Ceylon /  Sri Lanka Asia 29 May 1970 23 July 1977 7 years, 55 days
Princess Elizabeth of Toro  Uganda Africa 1974 1974 ?
Licelott Catalina Marte Hoffiz de Barrio  Dominican Republic Ameria 1975 1975 ?
Karin Söder  Sweden Europe 8 October 1976 18 October 1978 2 years, 10 days
Maria do Nascimenta Graça Amorin  São Tomé and Príncipe Africa 1978 1985 7 years, 0 days
Flora MacDonald  Canada America 4 June 1979 2 March 1980 272 days
Gloria Amon Nikoi  Ghana Africa 26 June 1979 24 September 1979 90 days
Dame Eugenia Charles  Dominica America 21 July 1980 1990 9 years, 164 days
Colette Flesch  Luxembourg Europe 22 November 1980 20 July 1984 3 years, 241 days
Gaositwe K. T. Chiepe  Botswana Africa 1984 1994 10 years, 0 days
Indira Gandhi  India Asia 9 March 1984 31 October 1984 236 days
Adrienne Liyonda  Zaire Africa 1987 1988 1 year, 0 days
Danielle de St. Jorre  Seychelles Africa 1989 25 February 1997 8 years, 55 days
Akmaral Arystanbekova  Kazakhstan Asia 1989 1991 2 years, 0 days
Susana Ruiz Cerutti  Argentina America 26 May 1989 8 July 1989 43 days
Pascaline Bongo Ondimba  Gabon Africa 1991 1994 3 years, 0 days
Shakhlo Makhmudova  Uzbekistan Asia 1991 1992 1 year, 0 days
Marie-Denise Fabien-Jean-Louis  Haiti America 13 February 1991 11 October 1991 240 days
Barbara McDougall  Canada America 21 April 1991 24 June 1993 2 years, 64 days
Margaretha af Ugglas  Sweden Europe 4 October 1991 7 October 1994 3 years, 3 days
Noemí Sanín  Colombia America 8 November 1991 7 August 1994 2 years, 272 days
Roza Otunbayeva  Kyrgyzstan Asia 26 February 1992 10 October 1992 227 days
Andrea Willi  Liechtenstein Europe 1993 5 April 2001 8 years, 94 days
Motarilavoa Hilda Lini  Vanuatu Oceania 1993 1993 ?
Claudette Werleigh  Haiti America 1 September 1993 16 May 1994 257 days
Dame Billie Miller  Barbados America 1994 19 January 2008 14 years, 18 days
Dorothy Musuleng-Cooper  Liberia Africa 1994 1995 1 year, 0 days
Roza Otunbayeva  Kyrgyzstan Asia 1994 1 July 1997 3 years, 0 days
Janet Bostwick  Bahamas, The America 1994 3 May 2002 8 years, 122 days
Maritza Ruiz de Vielman  Guatemala America 1994 1995 1 year, 0 days
Sy Kadiatou Sow  Mali Africa 1994 1995 1 year, 0 days
Lena Hjelm-Wallén  Sweden Europe 7 October 1994 7 October 1998 4 years, 0 days
Claudette Werleigh  Haiti America 8 November 1994 7 November 1995 364 days
Susanna Agnelli  Italy Europe 17 January 1995 17 May 1996 1 year, 121 days
Tarja Halonen  Finland Europe 13 April 1995 25 February 2000 4 years, 318 days
Tansu Çiller  Turkey Asia 28 June 1996 30 July 1997 1 year, 32 days
María Emma Mejía Vélez  Colombia America 10 July 1996 25 March 1998 1 year, 258 days
Irina Bokova  Bulgaria Europe 13 November 1996 13 February 1997 92 days
Shirley Gbujama  Sierra Leone Africa 21 November 1996 25 May 1997 185 days
Madeleine Albright  United States America 23 January 1997 20 January 2001 3 years, 363 days
Nadezhda Mihaylova  Bulgaria Europe 21 May 1997 24 July 2001 4 years, 64 days
Zdenka Kramplová  Slovakia Europe 25 May 1997 30 October 1998 1 year, 158 days
Rosario Green  Mexico America 1 January 1998 30 November 2000 2 years, 334 days
Lila Ratsifandrihamanana  Madagascar Africa 31 July 1998 28 February 2002 3 years, 212 days
Anna Lindh  Sweden Europe 7 October 1998 11 September 2003 4 years, 339 days
Nyam-Osoryn Tuyaa  Mongolia Asia 9 December 1998 9 August 2000 1 year, 244 days
Hilia Barber  Guinea-Bissau Africa 8 January 1999 7 May 1999 119 days
Aïchatou Mindaoudou  Niger Africa 16 April 1999 5 January 2000 264 days
María Eugenia Brizuela de Ávila  El Salvador America 1 June 1999 1 June 2004 5 years, 0 days
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma  South Africa Africa 14 June 1999 10 May 2009 9 years, 330 days
Lydie Polfer  Luxembourg Europe 7 August 1999 31 July 2004 4 years, 359 days
Benita Ferrero-Waldner  Austria Europe 4 February 2000 20 October 2004 4 years, 259 days
Lilian Patel  Malawi Africa 1 March 2000 16 June 2004 4 years, 107 days
Soledad Alvear  Chile America 11 March 2000 1 October 2004 4 years, 204 days
Mahawa Bangoura  Guinea Africa 7 June 2000 10 June 2002 2 years, 3 days
Marie Levens  Suriname America 12 August 2000 12 August 2005 5 years, 0 days
Antonieta Rosa Gomes  Guinea-Bissau Africa 25 March 2001 21 November 2001 241 days
Makiko Tanaka  Japan Asia 26 April 2001 26 January 2002 275 days
Ilinka Mitreva  Macedonia, Republic of Europe 13 May 2001 23 November 2001 194 days
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo  Philippines Asia 15 July 2002 16 July 2002 1 day
Arta Dade  Albania Europe 12 September 2001 31 July 2002 322 days
Aïchatou Mindaoudou  Niger Africa 17 September 2001 21 April 2011 9 years, 216 days
Filomena Mascarenhas Tipote  Guinea-Bissau Africa 12 December 2001 17 November 2002 340 days
Kristiina Ojuland  Estonia Europe 28 January 2002 8 February 2005 3 years, 11 days
Yoriko Kawaguchi  Japan Asia 16 February 2002 27 September 2004 2 years, 224 days
Alda Bandeira  São Tomé and Príncipe Africa 28 March 2002 7 October 2002 193 days
Ana de Palacio y del Valle-Lersundi  Spain Europe 9 July 2002 17 April 2004 1 year, 283 days
Carolina Barco  Colombia America 7 August 2002 7 August 2006 4 years, 0 days
Fátima Veiga  Cape Verde Africa 19 October 2002 3 April 2004 1 year, 167 days
Ilinka Mitreva  Macedonia, Republic of Europe 1 November 2002 28 August 2006 3 years, 298 days
Sandra Kalniete  Latvia Europe 7 November 2002 9 March 2004 1 year, 123 days
Micheline Calmy-Rey   Switzerland Europe 1 January 2003 31 December 2011 8 years, 364 days
Nina Pacari  Ecuador America 15 January 2003 6 August 2003 203 days
Fatumata Djau Baldé  Guinea-Bissau Africa 4 July 2003 14 September 2003 72 days
Leila Rachid de Cowles  Paraguay America 15 August 2003 21 August 2006 3 years, 6 days
Teresa Patrício de Gouveia  Portugal Europe 9 October 2003 17 July 2004 282 days
Laila Freivalds  Sweden Europe 10 October 2003 21 March 2006 2 years, 162 days
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo  Philippines Asia 17 December 2003 23 December 2003 6 days
Delia Albert  Philippines Asia 23 December 2003 18 August 2004 239 days
Salome Zurabishvili  Georgia Europe 20 March 2004 19 October 2005 1 year, 213 days
Ursula Plassnik  Austria Europe 20 October 2004 2 December 2008 4 years, 43 days
Helēna Demakova  Latvia Europe 28 October 2004 29 November 2004 32 days
Condoleezza Rice  United States America 26 January 2005 20 January 2009 3 years, 360 days
Alcinda Abreu  Mozambique Africa 3 February 2005 10 March 2008 3 years, 36 days
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović  Croatia Europe 17 February 2005 12 January 2008 2 years, 329 days
Fatoumata Kaba  Guinea Africa 8 March 2005 6 September 2006 1 year, 182 days
Roza Otunbayeva  Kyrgyzstan Asia 25 March 2005 30 September 2005 189 days
Rita Kieber-Beck  Liechtenstein Europe 21 April 2005 25 March 2009 3 years, 338 days
Ana Trišić-Babić  Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe 9 June 2005 15 June 2005 6 days
Lygia Kraag-Keteldijk  Suriname America 12 August 2005 12 August 2010 5 years, 0 days
Antoinette Batumubwira  Burundi Africa 30 August 2005 29 January 2009 3 years, 152 days
Rosemary Museminali  Rwanda Africa 2 September 2005 4 December 2009 4 years, 93 days
Asha-Rose Migiro  Tanzania Africa 6 January 2006 11 January 2007 1 year, 5 days
Tzipi Livni  Israel Asia 18 January 2006 1 April 2009 3 years, 73 days
Dora Bakoyannis  Greece Europe 15 February 2006 6 October 2009 3 years, 233 days
Carin Jämtin  Sweden Europe 27 March 2006 24 April 2006 28 days
Mariam Aladji Boni Diallo  Benin Africa 10 April 2006 17 June 2007 1 year, 68 days
Margaret Beckett  United Kingdom Europe 5 May 2006 28 June 2007 1 year, 54 days
Anna Fotyga  Poland Europe 9 May 2006 15 November 2007 1 year, 190 days
Joyce Banda  Malawi Africa 1 June 2006 29 May 2009 2 years, 362 days
Kinga Göncz  Hungary Europe 9 June 2006 14 April 2009 2 years, 309 days
Valgerður Sverrisdóttir  Iceland Europe 15 June 2006 24 May 2007 343 days
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala  Nigeria Africa 21 June 2006 30 August 2006 70 days
María Consuelo Araújo  Colombia America 7 August 2006 19 February 2007 196 days
Joy Ogwu  Nigeria Africa 30 August 2006 29 May 2007 272 days
Patricia Espinosa  Mexico America 1 December 2006 1 December 2012 6 years, 0 days
María Fernanda Espinosa  Ecuador America 15 January 2007 7 December 2007 326 days
Sahana Pradhan  Nepal Asia 1 April 2007 22 August 2008 1 year, 143 days
Maria da Conceição Nobre Cabral  Guinea-Bissau Africa 18 April 2007 7 January 2009 1 year, 264 days
Meritxell Mateu Pi  Andorra Europe 2 May 2007 9 June 2009 2 years, 38 days
Adalgisa Magno Guterres  Timor Leste Asia 19 May 2007 8 August 2007 81 days
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir  Iceland Europe 24 May 2007 1 February 2009 1 year, 253 days
Lisa Shoman  Belize America 4 June 2007 12 February 2008 253 days
Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis  Cyprus Europe 16 July 2007 2 March 2008 230 days
Olubanke King Akerele  Liberia Africa 22 August 2007 3 November 2010 3 years, 73 days
Zainab Bangura  Sierra Leone Africa 14 October 2007 3 December 2010 3 years, 50 days
Helēna Demakova  Latvia Europe 29 October 2007 8 November 2007 10 days
Paula Gopee-Scoon  Trinidad and Tobago America 7 November 2007 28 May 2010 2 years, 202 days
Sanjaasürengiin Oyuun  Mongolia Asia 4 December 2007 20 September 2008 291 days
María Isabel Salvador  Ecuador America 7 December 2007 12 December 2008 1 year, 5 days
Marisol Argueta de Barillas  El Salvador America 16 January 2008 1 June 2009 1 year, 136 days
Carolyn Rodrigues  Guyana America 10 April 2008 19 May 2015 7 years, 39 days
Laure Olga Gondjout  Gabon Africa 28 April 2008 9 October 2008 164 days
Eka Tkeshelashvili  Georgia Europe 5 May 2008 6 December 2008 215 days
Helen Clark  New Zealand Oceania 29 August 2008 19 November 2008 82 days
Maxine McClean  Barbados America 24 November 2008 Incumbent 8 years, 13 days
Antonella Mularoni  San Marino Europe 4 December 2008 5 December 2012 4 years, 1 day
Dipu Moni  Bangladesh Asia 6 January 2009 20 November 2013 4 years, 318 days
Adiato Djaló Nandigna  Guinea-Bissau Africa 7 January 2009 28 October 2009 294 days
Hillary Clinton  United States America 21 January 2009 1 February 2013 4 years, 11 days
Patricia Isabel Rodas  Honduras America 31 January 2009 28 June 2009 148 days
Sandra Pierantozzi  Palau Oceania 6 February 2009 19 March 2010 1 year, 41 days
Aurelia Frick  Liechtenstein Europe 25 March 2009 Incumbent 7 years, 257 days
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane  South Africa Africa 10 May 2009 Incumbent 7 years, 211 days
Sujata Koirala    Nepal Asia 25 May 2009 6 February 2011 1 year, 257 days
Etta Banda  Malawi Africa 17 June 2009 19 August 2011 2 years, 63 days
Rumiana Jeleva  Bulgaria Europe 27 July 2009 27 January 2010 184 days
Naha Mint Mouknass  Mauritania Africa 5 August 2009 22 March 2011 1 year, 229 days
Marie Michèle Rey  Haiti America 8 November 2009 24 October 2011 2 years, 296 days
Louise Mushikiwabo  Rwanda Africa 4 December 2009 Incumbent 7 years, 3 days
Rasa Juknevičienė  Lithuania Europe 26 January 2010 11 February 2010 16 days
Lene Espersen  Denmark Europe 23 February 2010 3 October 2011 1 year, 222 days
Aminatou Touré  Niger Africa 1 March 2010 21 April 2011 1 year, 51 days
María Ángela Holguín  Colombia America 7 August 2010 Incumbent 6 years, 122 days
Trinidad Jiménez García-Herrera  Spain Europe 20 October 2010 22 December 2011 1 year, 63 days
Michèle Alliot-Marie  France Europe 14 November 2010 27 February 2011 105 days
Hina Rabbani Khar  Pakistan Asia 11 February 2011 16 March 2013 2 years, 33 days
Erlinda F. Basilio  Philippines Asia 18 February 2011 24 February 2011 6 days
Yvette Sylla  Madagascar Africa 26 March 2011 21 November 2011 240 days
Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis  Cyprus Europe 5 August 2011 1 March 2013 1 year, 208 days
Vesna Pusic  Croatia Europe 23 December 2011 22 January 2016 4 years, 30 days
Maia Panjikidze  Georgia Europe 25 October 2012 5 November 2014 2 years, 11 days
Susan Waffa-Ogoo  Gambia, The Africa 1 November 2012 31 October 2013 364 days
Fowsiyo Yussuf Haji Aadan  Somalia Africa 4 November 2012 17 January 2014 1 year, 74 days
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah  Namibia Africa 4 December 2012 Incumbent 4 years, 3 days
Natália Pedro da Costa Umbelina Neto  São Tomé and Príncipe Africa 12 December 2012 25 December 2014 2 years, 13 days
Hanna Tetteh  Ghana Africa 30 January 2013 Incumbent 3 years, 312 days
Emma Bonino  Italy Europe 28 April 2013 22 February 2014 300 days
Mireya Agüero de Corrales  Honduras America 2 May 2013 8 January 2015 1 year, 251 days
Eda Rivas  Peru America 15 May 2013 23 June 2014 1 year, 39 days
Amina Mohamed  Kenya Africa 19 May 2013 Incumbent 3 years, 202 days
Natalia Gherman  Moldova Europe 30 May 2013 20 January 2016 2 years, 235 days
Léonie Banga-Bothy  Central African Republic Africa 13 June 2013 27 January 2014 228 days
Mariyam Shakeela  Maldives Asia 12 September 2013 17 November 2013 66 days
Viola Onwuliri  Nigeria Africa 13 September 2013 5 March 2014 173 days
Julie Bishop  Australia Oceania 18 September 2013 Incumbent 3 years, 80 days
Dunya Maumoon  Maldives Asia 17 November 2013 5 July 2016 2 years, 231 days
Sheikh Hasina  Bangladesh Asia 5 January 2014 26 February 2014 52 days
Federica Mogherini  Italy Europe 22 February 2014 31 October 2014 251 days
Arisoa Razafitrimo  Madagascar Africa 18 April 2014 25 January 2015 282 days
Sushma Swaraj  India Asia 26 May 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 195 days
Isabel Saint Malo  Panama America 1 July 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 159 days
Margot Wallström  Sweden Europe 3 October 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 65 days
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi  Botswana Africa 24 October 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 44 days
Retno Marsudi  Indonesia Asia 27 October 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 41 days
Anne Sulling  Estonia Europe 3 November 2014 17 November 2014 14 days
Tamar Beruchashvili  Georgia Europe 11 November 2014 1 September 2015 294 days
Keit Pentus-Rosimannus  Estonia Europe 17 November 2014 1 July 2015 226 days
Clarice Modeste-Curwen  Grenada America 1 December 2014 1 July 2016 1 year, 213 days
Francine Baron  Dominica America 13 December 2014 Incumbent 1 year, 360 days
Delcy Rodríguez  Venezuela America 26 December 2014 Incumbent 1 year, 347 days
Neneh MacDouall-Gaye  Gambia, The Africa 6 January 2015 Incumbent 1 year, 336 days
Béatrice Atallah  Madagascar Africa 25 January 2015 Incumbent 1 year, 317 days
Vatma Vall Mint Soueina  Mauritania Africa 25 January 2015 2 September 2015 220 days
Aïchatou Kané Boulama  Niger Africa 25 February 2015 11 April 2016 1 year, 46 days
Ana María Sánchez  Peru America 2 April 2015 28 July 2016 1 year, 117 days
Marina Kaljurand  Estonia Europe 16 July 2015 12 September 2016 1 year, 144 days
Niermala Badrising  Suriname America 12 August 2015 Incumbent 1 year, 117 days
Claudia Ruiz Massieu  Mexico America 27 August 2015 Incumbent 1 year, 102 days
Susana Malcorra  Argentina America 10 December 2015 Incumbent 363 days
Makalé Camara  Guinea Africa 4 January 2016 Incumbent 338 days
Marjon Kamara  Liberia Africa 6 January 2016 Incumbent 336 days
Kamina Johnson Smith  Jamaica America 7 March 2016 Incumbent 275 days
Aung San Suu Kyi  Myanmar Asia 30 March 2016 Incumbent 252 days
Lilja Alfreðsdóttir  Iceland Europe 7 April 2016 Incumbent 244 days
María Dolores Agüero  Honduras America 14 April 2016 Incumbent 237 days

Unrecognized states, autonomous regions

  Denotes incumbent foreign minister
Name Image Country/Region Continent Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Nguyễn Thị Bình Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Asia 1969 1976 7 years, 0 days
Naira Melkumian  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Europe 1997 11 October 2002 5 years, 283 days
Edna Adan Ismail  Somaliland Africa 30 July 2003 30 July 2006 3 years, 0 days
Maia Chigoyeva-Tsaboshvili  South Ossetia Europe 2006 2007 1 year, 0 days
Emily de Jongh-Elhage  Netherlands Antilles America 26 March 2006 10 October 2010 4 years, 198 days
Linda Fabiani  Scotland Europe 17 May 2007 12 February 2009 1 year, 271 days
Aleqa Hammond  Greenland America 30 May 2007 26 September 2008 1 year, 119 days
Fiona Hyslop  Scotland Europe 1 December 2009 Incumbent 7 years, 6 days
Vlora Çitaku  Kosovo Europe 18 October 2010 22 February 2011 127 days
Nina Shtanski  Transnistria Europe 18 January 2012 14 September 2015 3 years, 239 days
Aleqa Hammond  Greenland America 5 April 2013 12 December 2014 1 year, 251 days
Christine St-Pierre  Quebec America 23 April 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 228 days
Emine Çolak  Northern Cyprus Europe 16 July 2015 16 April 2016 275 days

Sui generis entities

  Denotes incumbent foreign minister
Name Image Entity Continent Mandate start Mandate end Term length
Benita Ferrero-Waldner  European Union Europe 22 November 2004 1 December 2009 5 years, 9 days
Catherine Ashton  European Union Europe 1 December 2009 1 November 2014 4 years, 335 days
Federica Mogherini  European Union Europe 1 November 2014 Incumbent 2 years, 36 days

See also

External links

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