The World's 50 Greatest Leaders

Rank
50
Previous: 49

Tshering Tobgay

Tshering Tobgay
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, pays homage to a sacred Bo Tree by putting a saffron robe during his visit to the Kelaniya Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, April 9, 2015. Tobgay arrived in the country on Thursday on a three-day official state visit.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)Eranga Jayawardena — AP
  • Title
    Prime Minister
  • Affiliation
    Bhutan
  • Age
    50

Tshering Tobgay is only the second Prime Minister to govern the Maryland-size country of Bhutan since it held its first democratic election in 2008. He still uses the old monarchy’s Gross National Happiness Index, compiled through surveys of citizens, to measure the country’s progress, but he has also turned to more concrete goals, like harnessing the economic potential of the Himalayan nation’s hydropower. And he’s sustaining the country’s environmental commitment: Bhutan has maintained its unique status as a carbon-­negative country, serving as a “sink” for about 4 million tons of CO2 a year.