World’s top 10 highest paid leaders as EU’s Ursula von der Leyen raking it in

No politician appears in the top 10 charts of the world’s richest people, with all the spots taken by billionaire entrepreneurs, most of whom earned their wealth in the tech or investment industries.

While the salaries of politicians are normally not as big as those of CEOs or founders of major companies, many world leaders earn a six-figure annual salary – and it’s good news for Ursula von der Leyen of the European Union, who despite not being in charge of a singular nation, makes it comfortbaly on to the world’s top 10 leaders with her huge pay packet.

The highest-paid government leader is Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, whose salary has been reported to be between £1.23million, according to a report by Visual Capitalist, and £1.7million, according to Australia’s ABC.

Mr Wong became Prime Minister of the Asian city-state in May, after he gained the “full confidence” of his predecessor Lee Hsien Loong for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

The reported salary of the Singaporean Prime Minister is much higher than John Lee Ka-chiu’s, the second-best-paid politician in the world.

Mr Lee was appointed the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the presence of China’s President Xi Jinping in 2022. His annual salary is higher than £535,000.

The best-paid female politician in 2024 is Viola Amherd, the president of the Swiss Confederation.

Switzerland’s leader came in third in the top 10 charts compiled by Visual Capitalist, with a reported annual salary of £408,000.

US President Joe Biden rakes in £308,000 per year with the high-profile role for which he was elected in November 2020 – a salary not much higher than Anthony Albanese’s, the Prime Minister of Australia.

Elected in 2022, the leader of the Australian Labor Party makes around £300,000 per year in his role.

The sixth-highest-paid world leader is believed to be Olaf Scholz, who reportedly earns £283,000 per year as the Chancellor of Germany.

Another German-born politician, and the second female leader in this chart, follows Mr Scholz: Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President.

Ms Von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election for a second term in her role at the heart of the European Union, is believed to be earning an annual salary of £280,000.

Karl Nehammer, who has been Austria’s Chancellor since December 2021 after serving as Interior Minister for nearly two years, reportedly earns £236,000.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who after leading his country for nearly a decade appears to be struggling to maintain his popularity among Canadians, reportedly earns some £225,000 per year – around 3,000 more than New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is on £222,000 per year.

Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan who took office in 2021, closes the top 10 chart, with an annual salary of approximately £197,000.