List of heads of state of Myanmar since 1948

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This article lists the presidents and de facto heads of state of Myanmar (Burma) since the Burmese Declaration of Independence in 1948. During the periods of direct military rule in 1962–1974 and 1988–2011, the office of president was abolished and chairman of military junta served as head of state.

Titles

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List of officeholders

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Political parties
  Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL)
  Union Karen League (UKL)
  Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP)
  Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)
  National League for Democracy (NLD)
Other affiliations
  Military
Status
  Acting president or de facto head of state

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

No. Portrait Name
(Lifespan) 		Term of office Political party Ref.
Start End Duration

Union of Burma (1948–1974)

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1 Sao Shwe Thaik
စဝ်ရွှေသိုက်
(1895–1962) 		4 January 1948 16 March 1952 4 years, 72 days Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
2 Ba U
ဘဦး
(1887–1963) 		16 March 1952 13 March 1957 4 years, 362 days Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
3 Win Maung
ဝင်းမောင်
(1916–1989) 		13 March 1957 2 March 1962
(Deposed in a coup) 		4 years, 354 days Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
(Union Karen League)
— Ne Win
နေဝင်း
(1911–2002) 		2 March 1962 2 March 1974 12 years Military /
Burma Socialist Programme Party

Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1974–1988)

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4 Ne Win
နေဝင်း
(1911–2002) 		2 March 1974 9 November 1981
(Resigned) 		7 years, 252 days Burma Socialist Programme Party
5 San Yu
စန်းယု
(1918–1996) 		9 November 1981 27 July 1988
(Resigned) 		6 years, 261 days Burma Socialist Programme Party
6 Sein Lwin
စိန်လွင်
(1923–2004) 		27 July 1988 12 August 1988
(Resigned) 		16 days Burma Socialist Programme Party
— Aye Ko
အေးကို
(1921–2006) 		12 August 1988 19 August 1988 7 days Burma Socialist Programme Party
7 Maung Maung
မောင်မောင်
(1925–1994) 		19 August 1988 18 September 1988
(Deposed in a coup) 		30 days Burma Socialist Programme Party [1]

Union of Burma / Myanmar (1988–2011)

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— Saw Maung
စောမောင်
(1928–1997) 		18 September 1988 23 April 1992
(Deposed)[a] 		3 years, 218 days Military [2][3][4]
— Than Shwe
သန်းရွှေ
(born 1933) 		23 April 1992 30 March 2011[b] 18 years, 341 days Military /
Union Solidarity and Development Association

Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2011–present)

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8 Thein Sein
သိန်းစိန်
(born 1944) 		30 March 2011 30 March 2016 5 years Union Solidarity and Development Party [5]
9 Htin Kyaw
ထင်ကျော်
(born 1946) 		30 March 2016 21 March 2018
(Resigned) 		1 year, 356 days National League for Democracy [6]
— Myint Swe
မြင့်ဆွေ
(1951–2025) 		21 March 2018 30 March 2018 9 days Union Solidarity and Development Party
10 Win Myint
ဝင်းမြင့်
(born 1951) 		30 March 2018 1 February 2021
(Deposed in a coup) 		2 years, 308 days National League for Democracy [7]
— Myint Swe
မြင့်ဆွေ
(1951–2025) 		1 February 2021 7 August 2025[c]
(Died in office) 		4 years, 187 days Union Solidarity and Development Party [10][11]
— Min Aung Hlaing
မင်းအောင်လှိုင်
(born 1956)
Pro Tem President (On Duty) 		22 July 2024[d] Incumbent 1 year, 147 days Military [12][13]

Timeline

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Min Aung HlaingWin MyintMyint SweHtin KyawThein SeinThan ShweSaw MaungMaung MaungAye KoSein LwinSan YuNe WinWin MaungBa USao Shwe Thaik

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Resigned for health reasons, de facto deposed by rival generals.
  2. ^ Handed over power to the civilian government after the 2010 general election.
  3. ^ Myint Swe took medical leave on 18 June 2024, and temporarily transferred NDSC-related presidential duties to Min Aung Hlaing (the chairman of the State Administration Council) on 22 July 2024, for the duration of the medical leave, with Myint Swe remaining in office. Myint Swe died in office on 7 August 2025.[8][9]
  4. ^ Min Aung Hlaing is de facto sole head of state since Myint Swe's death in office on 7 August 2025; the presidency is formally vacant.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Burmese Military Officially Takes Reins Of Power". The New York Times. 19 September 1988.
  2. ^ "Burmese Military Ousts Chief, Citing Illness". The New York Times. 24 April 1992.
  3. ^ "Saw Maung Is Dead at 68; Led a Brutal Burmese Coup". The New York Times. 27 July 1997. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Ned (28 July 1997). "Obituary: General Saw Maung". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. ^ "President sworn in, junta dissolved- DVB Multimedia Group". Dvb.no. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Myanmar Lawmakers Name Htin Kyaw President, Affirming Civilian Rule". The New York Times. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Myanmar elects Win Myint as new president". Deutsche Welle. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Pro Tem Presidential duties transferred to State Administration Council Chairman" (PDF). Global New Light of Myanmar. Vol. XI, no. 98. 23 July 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  9. ^ a b Wee, Sui-Lee (11 August 2025). "U Myint Swe, 74, Acting President of Myanmar Installed by Military, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  10. ^ "Pro Tem President U Myint Swe's Health Worsens, Admitted to ICU". Yangon Media Group. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  11. ^ Wee, Sui-Lee (7 August 2025). "U Myint Swe, 74, Acting President of Myanmar Installed by Military, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  12. ^ "State Security and Peace Commission". National Defence and Security Council. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  13. ^ "National Defence and Security Council convenes Meeting 3/2025" (PDF). Global New Light of Myanmar. Vol. XII, no. 107. 1 August 2025. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
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