List of state leaders in 1872

This is a list of heads of state, government leaders, and other rulers in the year 1872.

Africa

• Ashanti Confederacy – Kofi Kakari, Asantehene (1867–1874)
• Kingdom of Burundi – Mwezi IV Gisabo (1852–1908)
• Kingdom of Dahomey – Glele (1856–1889)
• Ethiopian Empire – Yohannes IV (1871–1889)
• Gurunsi – Alfa Hano, ruled c. 1870-c. 1874
• Liberia
  • President –
    1. James Skivring Smith (1871–1872)
    2. Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1872–1876)
• Sokoto Caliphate
  • Caliph – Ahmad Rufa'i (1867–1873)
  • Grand Vizier - Ibrahim Khalilu (1859-c.1874)
• Sultanate of Zanzibar – Barghash bin Said (1870–1888)
• Zulu –
  1. Mpande kaSenzangakhona, King of the Zulu (1840–1872)
  2. Cetshwayo kaMpande, King of the Zulu (1872–1884)

Asia

• Emirate of Afghanistan – Sher Ali Khan (1868–1879)
• Sultanate of Brunei – Abdul Momin (1852–1885)
• China (Qing dynasty) - Tongzhi Emperor (1861–1875)
• Empire of Japan – Monarch – Emperor Meiji (1867–1912)
  • Ryukyu Domain - Shō Tai, King of Ryukyu (1848-11 March 1879)
  • Annexed into Japan as a Han (feudal domain). Shō Tai maintains his title as "King" until 1879.
• Joseon (Korea) – Gojong (1864–1907, Emperor after 1897)
• Kingdom of Nepal – Surendra Bikram Shah Deva (1847–1881)
• Sultanate of Oman – Turki bin Said (1871–1888)
• Đại Nam (Nguyễn dynasty) - Tự Đức, Emperor (1847–1883)

Europe

• Austria-Hungary – Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (1848–1916)
  • Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary - Count Gyula Andrássy (1871-1879)
  • Minister-President of Austria - Prince Adolf of Auersperg (1871–1879)
  • Minister-President of Hungary
  1. Count Menyhért Lónyay (1871–1872)
  2. József Szlávy (1872–1874)
• Belgium
  • Monarch – Léopold II, King of the Belgians (1865–1909)
  • Cabinet Chief - Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt (1871–1878, 1884)
• Kingdom of Denmark –
  • Monarch – Christian IX (1863–1906)
  • Prime Minister - Ludvig Henrik Carl Herman (1870–1874)
• French Third Republic –
  • President - Adolphe Thiers (1871–1873)
  • President of the Council - Jules Dufaure (1871–1873)
• German Empire –
  • Monarch – Wilhelm I, Kaiser (1871–1888)
  • Chancellor - Otto von Bismarck (1871–1890)
  • see also List of German rulers in 1872
• Kingdom of Greece –
  • Monarch – George I, King of the Hellenes (1863–1913)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Thrasyvoulos Zaimis (1871–1872)
    2. Dimitrios Voulgaris (1872)
    3. Epameinondas Deligiorgis (1872–1874)
• Kingdom of Italy –
  • Monarch – Vittorio Emanuele II (1861–1878)
  • Prime Minister - Giovanni Lanza (1869–1873)
• Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
  • Monarch – William III of the Netherlands (1849–1890)
  • Prime Minister - Emmanuel Servais (1867–1874)
• Netherlands
  • Monarch – William III, King of the Netherlands (1849–1890)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Chairman of the Dutch Council of Ministers (1849–1853, 1862–1866, 1871–1872)
    2. Gerrit de Vries, Chairman of the Dutch Council of Ministers (1872–1874)
• Ottoman (Turkish) Empire
  • Sultan - Abdülaziz (1861–1876)
  • Grand Vizier -
    1. Mahmud Nedim Pasha (1871–1872)
    2. Midhat Pasha (1872)
    3. Mehmed Rushdi Pasha (1872–1873)
• Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves
  • Monarch – Luís I (1861–1889)
  • President of the Council of Ministers - António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo (1871–1877)
• United Principalities (Romania) – Carol I (1866–1881)
• Kingdom of Spain –
  • Monarch – Amadeus (1870–1873)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Práxedes Mateo Sagasta (1871–1872, 1874, 1881–1883, 1885–1890, 1892–1895, 1897–1899)
    2. Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, Duke de la Torre (1868–1869, 1871, 1872, 1874)
    3. Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla (1871, 1872–1873)
• Kingdom of Sweden – United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway -
  1. Charles XV (1859–1872)
  2. Oscar II (1872–1907)
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Monarch – Victoria (1837–1901)
  • Prime Minister - William Ewart Gladstone (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886, 1892–1894)

Middle East and North Africa

• Abu Dhabi – Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (1855–1909)
• Dibba – Sheikh Ahmad bin Sultan al-Qasimi, ruler of Dibba (1871–1883)
• Khedivate of Egypt (Under Ottoman Empire suzerainty)- Isma'il (1867–1879)
• Sultanate of Morocco – Muhammad IV (1859–1873)

North America and the Caribbean

• Canada
  • Monarch – Victoria, Queen of Canada (1837–1901)
  • Governor General
    1. Lord Lisgar (1869–1872)
    2. Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1872–1878)
  • Prime Minister - John A. Macdonald (1867–1873)
• Costa Rica – Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez, President of Costa Rica (1870–1876)
• Haiti – Nissage Saget, President of Haiti (1869–1874)
• Honduras –
  1. José María Medina, President of Honduras (1864–1872)
  2. Céleo Arias, Provisional President of Honduras (1872–1874)
• Mexico -
  1. Benito Juárez, President of Mexico (1867–1872)
  2. Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, President of Mexico (1872–1876)
• Nicaragua – José Vicente Cuadra, President of Nicaragua (1871–1875)
• United States - Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States (1869–1877)

Oceania

• Fiji – Seru Epenisa Cakobau, King of Fiji (1852–1874)
• Kingdom of Hawaii – Kamehameha V (1863–1872)
• Samoa – Malietoa Talavou Tonumaipe’a, Malietoa (1860–1880)
• Tahiti – Pōmare IV, Queen of Tahiti (1827–1877)
• Tonga – Tāufaʻāhau, Tu'i Kanokupolu (1845–1893)

South America

• Argentina – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, President of Argentina (1868–1874)
• Empire of Brazil –
  • Monarch – Pedro II (1831–1889); Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, regent (May 1871 - March 1872)
  • President of the cabinet of ministers - José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco (1871–1875)
• Chile – Federico Errázuriz Zañartu, President of Chile (1871–1876)
• Ecuador – Gabriel García Moreno, President of Ecuador (1869–1875)
• Peru – Manuel Pardo, President of Peru (1872–1876)
• Uruguay –
  1. Lorenzo Batlle y Grau, President of Uruguay (1868–1872)
  2. Tomás Gomensoro, President of Uruguay (1872–1873)
• Venezuela – Antonio Guzmán Blanco, President of Venezuela (1870–1877)