Rank
10
Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York September 27, 2015. More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the three day summit to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda, according to a U.N. press statement. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RTX1SPVXMike Segar — Reuters
- TitlePrime Minister
- AffiliationBangladesh
- Age68
As the only female leader among the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states, Hasina has deftly navigated the competing demands of Islamic tradition and women’s rights. She has committed Bangladesh, the nation with the world’s fourth-largest Muslim population, to securing legal protections for women and helping them attain more education, financial freedom, and political power. About 30% of adult women in Bangladesh now have at least a secondary education—and the nation scores better on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index than any other South Asian country.