A foreign minister or minister of foreign affairs (sometimes external affairs minister) 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 the United States and the United Kingdom, the position is titled 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 was the case with Indira Gandhi and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who served as prime ministers of India and Ceylon respectively. Sweden has had nine female ministers, a world record.
Sovereign states
Italics denotes an acting foreign minister and states that are defunct.
Name Image Country Region Mandate start Mandate end Term lengthAna PaukerEuropeGolda MeirAsiaTahira TahirovaAsiaSirimavo BandaranaikeAsia/AsiaIndira GandhiAsiaPrincess Elizabeth of ToroAfricaLicelott Marte de BarriosAmericas?Karin SöderEuropeMaria do Nascimento da Graça AmorimAfricaFlora MacDonaldAmericasGloria Amon NikoiAfricaEugenia CharlesAmericasColette FleschEuropeGaositwe ChiepeAfricaAdrienne LiyondaAfricaDanielle de St. JorreAfricaAkmaral ArystanbekovaAsiaSusana Ruiz CeruttiAmericasPascaline Bongo OndimbaAfricaShahlo MahmudovaAsiaMarie-Denise Fabien-Jean-LouisAmericasBarbara McDougallAmericasMargaretha af UgglasEuropeNoemí SanínAmericasRoza OtunbayevaAsiaAndrea WilliEuropeMotarilavoa Hilda Lin̄iOceania?Claudette WerleighAmericasBillie MillerAmericasDorothy Musuleng-CooperAfricaJanet BostwickAmericasGladys Maritza Ruiz de VielmanAmericasSy Kadiatou SowAfricaLena Hjelm-WallénEuropeSusanna AgnelliEuropeTarja HalonenEuropeTansu ÇillerEuropeMaría Emma Mejía VélezAmericasIrina BokovaEuropeShirley GbujamaAfricaMadeleine AlbrightAmericasNadezhda NeynskyEuropeZdenka KramplováEuropeNaira MelkumianEuropeRosario GreenAmericasLila RatsifandrihamananaAfricaAnna LindhEuropeNyam-Osoryn TuyaaAsiaHilia BarberAfricaAïchatou MindaoudouAfricaMaría Eugenia Brizuela de ÁvilaAmericasNkosazana Dlamini-ZumaAfricaLydie PolferEuropeBenita Ferrero-WaldnerEuropeLilian PatelAfricaSoledad AlvearAmericasMahawa BangouraAfricaMarie LevensAmericasAntonieta Rosa GomesAfricaMakiko TanakaAsiaIlinka MitrevaEuropeGloria Macapagal ArroyoAsiaArta DadeEuropeFilomena Mascarenhas TipoteAfricaKristiina OjulandEuropeYoriko KawaguchiAsiaAlda BandeiraAfricaAna PalacioEuropeCarolina BarcoAmericasFátima VeigaAfricaSandra KalnieteEuropeMicheline Calmy-ReyEuropeNina PacariAmericasFatumata Djau BaldéAfricaEdna Adan IsmailAfricaLeila Rachid de CowlesAmericasTeresa Patrício de GouveiaEuropeLaila FreivaldsEuropeDelia AlbertAsiaSalome ZurabishviliEuropeUrsula PlassnikEuropeHelēna DemakovaEuropeCondoleezza RiceAmericasAlcinda AbreuAfricaKolinda Grabar-KitarovićEuropeFatoumata KabaAfricaRita Kieber-BeckEuropeAna Trišić-BabićEuropeLygia Kraag-KeteldijkAmericasAntoinette BatumubwiraAfricaRosemary MuseminaliAfricaAsha-Rose MigiroAfricaTzipi LivniAsiaDora BakoyannisEuropeCarin JämtinEuropeMariam Aladji Boni DialloAfricaMargaret BeckettEuropeAnna FotygaEuropeJoyce BandaAfricaKinga GönczEuropeValgerður SverrisdóttirEuropeNgozi Okonjo-IwealaAfricaMaría Consuelo AraújoAmericasJoy OgwuAfricaPatricia EspinosaAmericasMaia Chigoyeva-TsaboshviliEurope?María Fernanda EspinosaAmericasSahana PradhanAsiaMaria da Conceição Nobre CabralAfricaMeritxell Mateu PiEuropeAdaljiza MagnoAsiaIngibjörg Sólrún GísladóttirEuropeLisa ShomanAmericasErato Kozakou-MarcoullisEuropeOlubanke King AkereleAfricaZainab BanguraAfricaPaula Gopee-ScoonAmericasSanjaasürengiin OyuunAsiaMaría Isabel SalvadorAmericasMarisol Argueta de BarillasAmericasCarolyn RodriguesAmericasLaure Olga GondjoutAfricaEka TkeshelashviliEuropeHelen ClarkOceaniaMaxine McCleanAmericasAntonella MularoniEuropeDipu MoniAsiaAdiato Djaló NandignaAfricaHillary ClintonAmericasPatricia Isabel RodasAmericasSandra PierantozziOceaniaAurelia FrickEuropeMaite Nkoana-MashabaneAfricaSujata KoiralaAsiaEtta BandaAfricaRumiana JelevaEuropeNaha Mint MouknassAfricaMarie-Michèle ReyAmericasLouise MushikiwaboAfricaRasa JuknevičienėEuropeLene EspersenEuropeAminatou Maïga TouréAfricaMaría Ángela HolguínAmericasVlora ÇitakuEuropeTrinidad JiménezEuropeMichèle Alliot-MarieEurope Hina Rabbani Khar AsiaYvette SyllaAfricaVesna PusicEuropeNina ShtanskiEuropeMaia PanjikidzeEuropeSusan Waffa-OgooAfricaFowsiyo Yussuf Haji AadanAfricaNetumbo Nandi-NdaitwahAfricaNatália Pedro da Costa Umbelina NetoAfricaHanna TettehAfricaEmma BoninoEuropeMireya AgüeroAmericasIncumbentEda RivasAmericasAmina MohamedAfricaNatalia GhermanEuropeLéonie Banga-BothyAfricaMariyam ShakeelaAsiaViola OnwuliriAfricaJulie BishopOceaniaDunya MaumoonAsiaSheikh HasinaAsiaFederica MogheriniEuropeArisoa RazafitrimoAfricaSushma SwarajAsiaIsabel Saint MaloAmericasMargot WallströmEuropeRetno MarsudiAsiaPelonomi Venson-MoitoiAfricaAnne SullingEuropeTamar BeruchashviliEuropeKeit Pentus-RosimannusEuropeClarice Modeste-CurwenAmericasFrancine BaronAmericasDelcy RodríguezAmericasNeneh MacDouall-GayeAfricaBéatrice AtallahAfricaVatma Vall Mint SoueinaAfricaAïchatou Kané BoulamaAfricaAna María SánchezAmericasMarina KaljurandEuropeEmine ÇolakEuropeNiermala BadrisingAmericasClaudia Ruiz MassieuAmericasSusana MalcorraAmericasMakalé CamaraAfricaMarjon KamaraAfricaKamina Johnson SmithAmericasIncumbentAung San Suu KyiAsiaLilja Dögg AlfreðsdóttirEurope'Mamphono KhaketlaAfricaChrystia FreelandAmericasShirley Ayorkor BotchweyAfricaYldiz Pollack-BeighleAmericasMaría Dolores AgüeroAmericasEkaterina ZaharievaEuropeFaustina Rehuher-MaruggOceaniaKang Kyung-whaAsiaMarija Pejčinović BurićEuropeMaria Ubach i FontEuropeSandra JovelAmericasIne Eriksen SøreideEuropeKarin KneisslEuropeCayetana AljovínAmericasSigrid KaagEuropeMonica JumaAfricaLindiwe SisuluAfricaTehmina JanjuaAsiaEpsy Campbell BarrAmericasUnity DowAfricaMarise PayneOceaniaKamissa CamaraAfricaThuli DladlaAfricaElsa Teixeira PintoAfricaLorena Aguilar Revelo (acting)AmericasSylvie Baïpo-TemonAfricaIncumbentKaren CummingsAmericasNabeela TunisAfricaNaledi PandorAfricaAlexandra Hill TinocoAmericasIncumbentSuzi BarbosaAfricaRamona MănescuEuropeAwut Deng AcuilAfricaAsma Mohamed AbdallaAfricaMarie Tumba NzezaAfricaAnn LindeEuropeKatrin EggenbergerEuropeKaren LongaricAmericasClaudia BlumAmericasMargarita RoblesEuropeBisera TurkovićEuropeArancha González LayaEuropeRaychelle OmamoAfricaVerónica MacamoAfricaRuth MonteiroAfricaSuzi BarbosaAfricaBeatrice Wani-NoahAfrica'Matšepo RamakoaeAfricaMeliza Haradinaj-StubllaEuropeEdite TenjuaAfricaSophie WilmèsEuropeAïssata Tall SallAfricaIncumbentNanaia MahutaOceaniaElizabeth AsteteAmericasOlta XhaçkaEuropeUduch Sengebau SeniorOceaniaEva-Maria LiimetsEuropeBattsetseg BatmunkhAsiaIncumbentMariam al-MahdiAfricaNajla MangoushAfricaIncumbentDonika Gërvalla-SchwarzEuropeIncumbentDominique HaslerEuropeLiberata MulamulaAfricaKandia CamaraAfricaIncumbentMarta Lucía RamírezAmericasFiamē Naomi MataʻafaOceaniaLiz TrussEuropeAnniken HuitfeldtEuropeMélanie JolyAmericasÞórdís Kolbrún R. GylfadóttirEuropeAnnalena BaerbockEuropeTeodora GenchovskaEuropeRosine Sori-CoulibalyAfricaFekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanuOceaniaIncumbentIsabelle Berro-LefèvreEuropeIncumbentNancy TemboAfricaIncumbentOlivia RouambaAfricaAntonia UrrejolaAmericasJovana MarovićEurope28 April 202225 November 2022211 daysCatherine ColonnaEuropePenny WongOceaniaIncumbentTanja FajonEuropeChoe Son-huiAsiaIncumbentHadja LahbibEuropeStergomena TaxAfricaJanaina TewaneyNorth AmericaAna GervasiAmericasBimala Rai PaudyalAsiaImma Tor FausEuropeIncumbentPaulette Marcelline AdjoviAfricaMariya GabrielEuropeAlicia BárcenaNorth AmericaLuminița OdobescuEuropeElina ValtonenEuropeIncumbentLiesje SchreinemacherEuropeHanke Bruins Slot EuropeYōko KamikawaAsiaPholile ShakantuAfricaIncumbentCelinda Sosa Lunda AmericasGabriela Sommerfeld AmericasIncumbentDiana MondinoAmericasRasata RafaravavitafikaAfricaSara Beysolow NyantiAfricaIncumbentYassine FallAfricaIncumbentBaiba BražeEuropeIncumbentThérèse Kayikwamba WagnerAfricaIncumbentArzu Rana DeubaAsiaMaria Malmer StenergardEuropeIncumbentMaka BochorishviliEuropeIncumbentÞorgerður Katrín GunnarsdóttirEuropeIncumbentMaria Manuela LucasAfricaIncumbentLaura SarabiaAmericasBeate Meinl-ReisingerEuropeIncumbentSelma Ashipala-MusavyiAfricaIncumbentSabine MonauniEuropeIncumbentAnita AnandAmericasIncumbentOana ȚoiuEuropeIncumbentTess LazaroAsiaIncumbentRosa Yolanda VillavicencioAmericasIncumbentYvette CooperEuropeElisa SpiropaliEuropeChristine RazanamahasoaAfricaHelen McEnteeEuropeIncumbentAlice N'DiayeAfricaIncumbentVelislava Petrova-ChamovaEuropeIncumbentAnita OrbánEuropeIncumbent
Autonomous and constituent regions
Italics denotes an acting foreign minister and states that are defunct.
NameImage Country/Region Continent Mandate start Mandate end Term lengthNguyễn Thị Bình South Vietnam(provisional government)AsiaEmily de Jongh-ElhageNorth AmericaLinda FabianiEuropeAleqa HammondNorth AmericaFiona HyslopEuropeChristine St-PierreNorth AmericaSuka FrederiksenNorth AmericaVivian MotzfeldtNorth AmericaAne Lone BaggerNorth AmericaNadine GiraultNorth AmericaEluned MorganEuropeVictòria AlsinaEuropeMeritxell SerretEuropeMartine BironNorth America
Sui generis entities
NameImage Entity Continent Mandate start Mandate end Term lengthBenita Ferrero-WaldnerEuropeCatherine AshtonEuropeFederica MogheriniEuropeKaja KallasEuropeIncumbent
See also Foreign minister List of current foreign ministers List of current permanent representatives to the United Nations
Notes
References
External links Foreign Ministers Rulers