The world’s most educated prime ministers are some of the most respected world leaders. In some countries a stellar education is a politician’s best selling point because it goes a long way in convincing the electorate that he is capable and fit for the role he wishes to fill.
Sometimes, it is evidence that a person has been preparing for a career in public service; and sometimes people who have prepared themselves tend to stay loyal to the cause, or the ideology they believe in- at least theoretically.
Whether they have remained faithful to their beliefs or not; these are some world leaders with noteworthy educational backgrounds.
Most Educated Prime Ministers In The World
1. Ariel Henry
Prime Minister of Haiti
Ariel Henry is the Prime Minister of Haiti, and one of the most learned world leaders. He was born on 6 November 1949. His place of birth is not clear at this time, but he studied in France. He went to the University of Montpellier in France, and Loma Linda University in the United States; studying for Doctorates of Medicine in Neurophysiology and Neuropathology; and Master of public health respectively.
He worked for a long time as a resident neurosurgeon in the city of Montpelier, and also became an assistant professor there in the same city.
He later went back to Haiti; and took up the position of a neurosurgeon at the State University of Haiti Hospital from 1987 to 1996. He later served as a professor of neurosurgery, and then professor of psychophysiology. He is still a professor of neurology at the university’s faculty of medicine.
2. Anatole Collinet Makosso
Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo
Anatole Collinet Makosso is a Congolese, Lawyer, Technocrat and Politician. He has been serving as the Prime Minister of Congo since 2021. He was born in 1965, and educated in Congo and France.
He is one of the most respected and capable men in the country; he obtained a Doctor of Law, from the Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University which is in France.
He has gained vast experience working in different positions throughout his career; some of the positions he has held include; Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, and as the Minister of Youth and Civic Instruction.
3. Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Prime Minister of Greece
Kyriakos Mitsotakis is one of the world’s most educated prime ministers; and his education has been received at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. He is the prime minister of Greece; a position he has held since 2019.
Some of his educational achievements include; Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies, Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy, and an MBA. He has obtained these degrees at prestigious institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, and Harvard Business School.
He is one of the most popular people in Greece, and his influence cuts across all sectors of the country’s politics.
4. Abiy Ahmed
Abiy Ahmed is an Ethiopian tech expert and politician, he has been Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018.
He was born in Ethiopia, and at a young age he joined the Ethiopian National Defense Force, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. It while in the Army that he received his first degree, a Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. It was from the Microlink Information Technology College in Addis Ababa in 2009.
He then did his Master of Arts in transformational leadership at Greenwich University, London, and then another one at Leadstar College of Management and Leadership in Addis Ababa in partnership with Ashland University. He also holds a PhD.
Most notably, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, for his efforts to achieve international peace through his work to resolve the border conflict with the sister nation of Eritrea.
5. Mostafa Madbouly
Mostafa Madbouly is the Prime Minister of Egypt, a position he has held since 2018. He was born in 1966, and received all his education in Egypt.
Mostafa Madbouly studied at the Cairo University; he received a master’s degree and PhD from the Faculty of Engineering in 1988 and 1997, respectively.
He had a distinguished career in the Public Sector; he started work at the Building Research Center in Cairo, and eventually became the Minister for Housing in his country. It was on the background of this distinguished career that he was appointed to serve as Prime Minister.
6. Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin is the Prime Minister of Finland, even though she should be a beauty queen. She has held that position since 2019. She was born 1985, in Helsinki, Finland, but soon moved with her mother to Pirkkala. She graduated from the Pirkkala High School, and then worked in a bakery and as a cashier while studying. She got her bachelor’s degree in 2012, and her master’s in 2017 from the University of Tampere.
She has been hailed for her liberal approach to life and governance; a scandal broke out when a picture of her at a party surfaced.
7. Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips is the Prime Minister of Guyana; a position he has held since 2020. He is a retired military officer who served meritoriously for many years before starting a career in politics. He attained the rank of a Brigadier General, and served as Chief of Defense Staff.
His mother died when he was seven years old, and he was raised solely by his father. He attended Christiansburg Primary School, and the Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School, before joining the army. It was at the army that he did several courses, including Master Degree in Public Management. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Guyana- he studied Public Management.
8. Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš
Prime Minister of Latvia
Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš is the Prime Minister of Latvia; a position he has held since 2019. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States to Latvian American parents. He attended elementary school in Delaware, US, and studied at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and then the University of Pennsylvania.
He got a scholarship from the US government to study Russian Language, and another one to study Pitch Linguistics. He obtained a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, and worked as a lecturer.
He then went to Latvia to work as a professor, but was denied the opportunity. So he founded a company that distributes frozen foods, and made the switch to politics.
9. Daniel Risch
Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
Daniel Risch is the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein; a position he has held since 2021. Before that, he had served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Economic Affairs and Sports.
He was born in 1978, and attended the Liechtenstein Grammar School in Vaduz, and then the universities of St. Gallen and Zurich in Switzerland, where he studied Business Administration. He also completed a degree in Economics from Zurich.
He holds a PhD in business informatics from Freiburg, and he has worked as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne, and at the University Of Applied Sciences Of Northwestern Switzerland.
10. Xavier Bettel
Prime Minister of Luxembourg
Xavier Bettel is the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, a position he has held since 2013. He is a lawyer, and has previously served his country as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and then as the Mayor of Luxembourg City.
He was born in Luxembourg City in 1973, and attended Lycée Hélène Boucher in Thionville, and then obtained a Masters Degree in Public and European Law at Nancy 2 University in Nancy, France. He also studied maritime law as well as canon law at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. He also bagged an honorary doctorate from Sacred Heart University Luxembourg. He worked as Television Talk show Host.
Related:
- Most Educated Presidents In Africa
- Most Educated Presidents In The World
- Most Educated Countries In The World
Closing
There is little evidence to suggest that the most educated prime ministers in the world are the best at their positions. The fortunes of any country do not rely solely on the performances of its prime minister, or any other singular politician.