Current reigning monarchs by length of reign

This is a list of currently enthroned monarchs and lifelong leaders sorted by length of service.

This list includes all "legitimately reigning monarchs", which includes monarchs who do not reign over entire nations, such as Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, but does not include former monarchs and pretenders, such as Michael of Romania, de facto monarchs such as François Hollande who in his capacity as President of France is also Co-Prince of Andorra, or monarchs whose position is unofficial, such as Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama.

List

Rank Name Nation(s) Born Age Ascended Years reigned
1. Bhumibol Adulyadej Thailand 5 December 1927 87 years, 145 days 9 June 1946 68 years, 324 days
2. Elizabeth II Commonwealth realms[1] 21 April 1926 89 years, 8 days 6 February 1952 63 years, 82 days
3. Abdul Halim Kedah (Malaysia)[2] 28 November 1927 87 years, 152 days 14 July 1958 56 years, 289 days
4. Sikiru Kayode Adetona Ijebuland (Nigeria) 10 May 1934 80 years, 354 days 4 January 1960 55 years, 115 days
5. Hassanal Bolkiah Brunei 15 July 1946 68 years, 288 days 5 October 1967 47 years, 206 days
6. Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zulu people (South Africa) 14 July 1948 66 years, 289 days 17 September 1968 46 years, 224 days
7. Qaboos bin Said al Said Oman 18 November 1940 74 years, 162 days 23 July 1970 44 years, 280 days
8. Margrethe II Denmark 16 April 1940 75 years, 13 days 14 January 1972 43 years, 105 days
9. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qassimi III Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) 2 July 1939 75 years, 301 days 25 January 1972 43 years, 94 days
10. Carl XVI Gustaf Sweden 30 April 1946 68 years, 364 days 15 September 1973 41 years, 226 days
11. Ahmad Shah Pahang (Malaysia) 24 October 1930 84 years, 187 days 7 May 1974 40 years, 357 days
12. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) 25 August 1948 66 years, 247 days 18 September 1974 40 years, 223 days
13. Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi Ajman (United Arab Emirates) 1931 84 years, 118 days 6 September 1981 33 years, 235 days
14. Mswati III Swaziland 19 April 1968 47 years, 10 days 25 April 1986 29 years, 4 days
15. Akihito Japan 23 December 1933 81 years, 127 days 7 January 1989 26 years, 112 days
16. Hamengkubuwana X Yogyakarta (Indonesia) 2 April 1946 69 years, 27 days 7 March 1989 26 years, 53 days
17. Hans-Adam II Liechtenstein 14 February 1945 70 years, 74 days 13 November 1989 25 years, 167 days
18. Letsie III Lesotho 17 July 1963 51 years, 286 days 12 November 1990 24 years, 168 days
19. Harald V Norway 21 February 1937 78 years, 67 days 17 January 1991 24 years, 102 days
20. Muwenda Mutebi II Buganda (Uganda) 13 April 1955 60 years, 16 days 24 July 1993 21 years, 279 days
21. Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV Toro (Uganda) 16 April 1992 23 years, 13 days 13 September 1995 19 years, 228 days
22. Mizan Zainal Abidin Terengganu (Malaysia) 22 January 1962 53 years, 97 days 15 May 1998 16 years, 349 days
23. Abdullah II Jordan 30 January 1962 53 years, 89 days 7 February 1999 16 years, 81 days
24. Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Bahrain 28 January 1950 65 years, 91 days 6 March 1999 16 years, 54 days
25. Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II Ashanti people (Ghana) 6 May 1950 64 years, 358 days 26 April 1999 16 years, 3 days
26. Paku Alam IX Pakualaman (Indonesia) 7 May 1938 76 years, 357 days 26 May 1999 15 years, 338 days
27. Mohammed VI Morocco 21 August 1963 51 years, 251 days 23 July 1999 15 years, 280 days
28. Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Perlis (Malaysia) 17 May 1943 71 years, 347 days 17 April 2000 15 years, 12 days
29. Henri Luxembourg 16 April 1955 60 years, 13 days 7 October 2000 14 years, 204 days
30. Sharafuddin Idris Shah Selangor (Malaysia) 11 December 1945 69 years, 139 days 21 November 2001 13 years, 159 days
31. Norodom Sihamoni Cambodia 14 May 1953 61 years, 350 days 14 October 2004 10 years, 197 days
32. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 25 January 1948 67 years, 94 days 3 November 2004 10 years, 177 days
33. Albert II Monaco 14 March 1958 57 years, 46 days 6 April 2005 10 years, 23 days
34. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 22 July 1949 65 years, 281 days 4 January 2006 9 years, 115 days
35. Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Kuwait 16 June 1929 85 years, 317 days 29 January 2006 9 years, 90 days
36. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Bhutan 21 February 1980 35 years, 67 days 15 December 2006 8 years, 135 days
37. Tunku Muhriz Negeri Sembilan (Malaysia) 14 January 1948 67 years, 105 days 29 December 2008 6 years, 121 days
38. Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla Umm al-Quwain (United Arab Emirates) 1 October 1952 62 years, 210 days 2 January 2009 6 years, 117 days
39. Charles Mumbere Rwenzururu (Uganda) 1953 62 years, 118 days 19 October 2009 5 years, 192 days
40. Ibrahim Ismail Johor (Malaysia) 22 November 1958 56 years, 158 days 22 January 2010 5 years, 97 days
41. Muhammad V Kelantan (Malaysia) 6 October 1969 45 years, 205 days 13 September 2010 4 years, 228 days
42. Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Ras al-Khaimah (United Arab Emirates) 10 February 1956 59 years, 78 days 27 October 2010 4 years, 184 days
43. Tupou VI Tonga 12 July 1959 55 years, 291 days 18 March 2012 3 years, 42 days
44. Francis Vatican City 17 December 1936 78 years, 133 days 13 March 2013 2 years, 47 days
45. Willem-Alexander Netherlands 27 April 1967 48 years, 2 days 30 April 2013 1 years, 364 days
46. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Qatar 3 June 1980 34 years, 330 days 25 June 2013 1 years, 308 days
47. Philippe Belgium 15 April 1960 55 years, 14 days 21 July 2013 1 years, 282 days
48. Nazrin Shah Perak (Malaysia) 27 November 1956 58 years, 153 days 29 May 2014 335 days
49. Muhammadu Sanusi II Kano Emirate (Nigeria) 31 July 1961 53 years, 272 days 8 June 2014 325 days
50. Felipe VI Spain 30 January 1968 47 years, 89 days 19 June 2014 314 days
51. Salman Saudi Arabia 31 December 1935 79 years, 119 days 23 January 2015 96 days

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ This length of reign applies to United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as all of the other countries Elizabeth II reigns over had yet to gain independence at the time she acceded to the throne, however she did reign over them as Queen from her ascension to the British Throne though as Queen of the United Kingdom rather than Queen in right of that state to be. The length of her reign in right of each state, in order of length, is as follows (date of ascension in brackets):
    • Jamaica: 52 years, 266 days (6 August 1962)
    • Barbados: 48 years, 150 days (30 November 1966)
    • The Bahamas: 41 years, 293 days (10 July 1973)
    • Grenada: 41 years, 81 days (7 February 1974)
    • Papua New Guinea: 39 years, 225 days (16 September 1975)
    • Solomon Islands: 36 years, 286 days (7 July 1978)
    • Tuvalu: 36 years, 210 days (1 October 1978)
    • Saint Lucia: 36 years, 66 days (22 February 1979)
    • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 35 years, 184 days (27 October 1979)
    • Belize: 33 years, 220 days (21 September 1981)
    • Antigua and Barbuda: 33 years, 179 days (1 November 1981)
    • Saint Kitts and Nevis: 31 years, 222 days (19 September 1983)
  2. ↑ Abdul Halim is also the currently-reigning Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and has reigned for 3 years, 137 days (13 December 2011).