![]() Semi-constitutional monarchy Commonwealth realms (constitutional monarchies in personal union) Subnational monarchies (traditional) |
This is a list of current monarchies. (As of 2019), there are 44 sovereign states in the world with a monarch as Head of state. 13 in Asia, 12 in Europe, 10 in North America, 6 in Oceania and 3 in Africa.
These are roughly the categories which modern monarchies fall into:
Muslim monarchies. These Muslim monarchs of the Kingdom of Bahrain; the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace; the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; the State of Kuwait; the Kingdom of Morocco; the Sultanate of Oman; the State of Qatar; and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the United Arab Emirates generally retain far more powers than their European or Commonwealth counterparts.
Absolute monarchs remain in the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace; the Sultanate of Oman; the State of Qatar; and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Kuwait are classified as mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the monarch retains most of his powers. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Malaysia, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates are constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more substantial powers than in European equivalents.
Some of the extant sovereign monarchies have lines of succession that go back to the medieval period or antiquity:
Monarchy | Official local name | Title of Head of State | Title of Head of Government | Type of Monarchy | Succession | Current
constitution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template:Country data Principality of Andorra [2] | In Catalan; Principat d'Andorra | Co-Princes | Prime Minister | Constitutional | Ex officio | 1993 |
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In English; Antigua and Barbuda | Queen | Hereditary | 1981 | ||
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In English; Commonwealth of Australia | Queen | 1901 | |||
Template:Country data Commonwealth of the Bahamas[5] | In English; Commonwealth of the Bahamas | Queen | 1973 | |||
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In Arabic; Mamlakat al- Baḥrayn | King | Mixed | 2002 | ||
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In English; Barbados | Queen | Constitutional | 1966 | ||
Template:Country data Kingdom of Belgium[8] | In Dutch; Koninkrijk België
In French; Royaume de Belgique In German; Königreich Belgien |
King | Hereditary 1 | 1831 | ||
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In English; Belize | Queen | Hereditary | 1981 | ||
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In Dzongkha; Druk Gyal Khap | King | 2007 | |||
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In Malay; Negara Brunei Darussalam | Sultan
|
Absolute | 1959 | ||
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In Khmer; Preăh Réachéanachâk Kâmpŭchéa | King | Prime Minister | Constitutional | Hereditary and elective | 1993 |
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In English and French; Canada | Queen | Hereditary | 1867 | ||
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In Danish; Kongeriget Danmark | Queen | 1953 | |||
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In Swazi; Umbuso weSwatini In English; Kingdom of Eswatini |
King | Absolute | Hereditary and elective | 1968 | |
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In English; Grenada | Queen | Constitutional | Hereditary | 1974 | |
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In English; Jamaica | Queen | 1962 | |||
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In Japanese; 日本国 (Nippon-koku/Nihon-koku) | Emperor | 1947 | |||
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In Arabic; Dawlat al-Kuwait | Emir | Mixed | Hereditary and elective | 1962 | |
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In Arabic; al-Mamlakah al-Urdunīyah al-Hāshimīyah | King | 1952 | |||
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In Sotho; Muso oa Lesotho
In English; Kingdom of Lesotho |
King | Constitutional | 1993 | ||
Template:Country data Principality of Liechtenstein[20] | In German; Fürstentum Liechtenstein | Sovereign Prince | Mixed | Hereditary | 1862 | |
Template:Country data Grand Duchy of Luxembourg[21] | In French; Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
In German; Großherzogtum Luxemburg In Luxembourgish; Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg |
Grand Duke | Constitutional | 1868 | ||
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In Malay; Malaysia | Yang di-Pertuan Agong | Elective | 1957 | ||
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In French; Principauté de Monaco
In Monégasque; Principatu de Múnegu |
Sovereign Prince | Minister of State | Mixed | Hereditary | 1911 |
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In Arabic; al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiyya
In Berber; Tageldit n Lmaɣrib |
King | Prime Minister | 1631 | ||
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In Dutch; Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
In West Frisian; Keninkryk fan de Nederlannen |
King | Constitutional | 1815 | ||
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In English; New Zealand
In Maori; Aotearoa |
Queen | 1907 | |||
Template:Country data Kingdom of Norway[27] | In Bokmål; Kongeriket Norge
In Nynorsk; Kongeriket Noreg |
King | 1814 | |||
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In Arabic; Salṭanat ‘Umān | Sultan
|
Absolute | 1996 | ||
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In English; Independent State of Papua New Guinea
In Tok Pisin; Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini In Hiri Motu Papua Niu Gini |
Queen | Prime Minister | Constitutional | 1975 | |
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In Arabic; Dawlat Qaṭar | Emir | Absolute | 2004 | ||
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In English; Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis | Queen | Constitutional | 1983 | ||
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In English; Saint Lucia | Queen | 1979 | |||
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In English; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Queen | 1979 | |||
Template:Country data Kingdom of Saudi Arabia[34] | In Arabic; Al-Mamlakah al-Arabiyah as-Sa'ūdiyah | King
|
Absolute | Hereditary and elective | 19922 | |
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In English; Solomon Islands | Queen | Prime Minister | Constitutional | Hereditary | 1978 |
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In Spanish; Reino de España | King | President of the Government | 1978 | ||
Template:Country data Kingdom of Sweden[35] | In Swedish; Konungariket Sverige | King | Prime Minister | 1974 | ||
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In Thai; Ratcha Anachak Thai | King | 2017 | |||
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In Tonga; Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga In English; Kingdom of Tonga |
King | 1970 | |||
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In English; Tuvalu | Queen | 1978 | |||
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In Arabic; Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah | President | Federal | Hereditary and elective | 1971 | |
Template:Country data United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[40] | In English: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland In Welsh: Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon In Irish: Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann In Scots Gaelic: Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn agus Èirinn a Tuath |
Queen | Constitutional | Hereditary | 1701 | |
Template:Country data Vatican City State[41] | In Latin; Status Civitatis Vaticanae In Italian; Stato della Città del Vaticano |
Pope | President of the Pontifical Commission | Absolute | Elective | 2001 |
^1 Belgium is the only existing popular monarchy – a system in which the monarch's title is linked to the people rather than a state. The title of Belgian kings is not King of Belgium, but instead King of the Belgians. Another unique feature of the Belgian system is that the new monarch does not automatically assume the throne at the death or abdication of his predecessor; he only becomes monarch upon taking a constitutional oath.
^2 Basic Law of Saudi Arabia[42][43][44]