Who is the President of Guatemala?

Bernardo Arévalo de León has been President of Guatemala since Jan 15, 2024.

Who is the longest-serving President of Guatemala?

Manuel Estrada Cabrera, with 8,101 days in office.

Has Guatemala ever had a female president?

Yes. Guatemala has had 1 female president. The first was Otto Pérez Molina, who took office in 2012.

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🇬🇹 Guatemala

Presidential system, representative democracyElectoral democracy

Bernardo Arévalo de León

President · 1,006 days in office

How the political system works in Guatemala

Guatemala is governed as a presidential system with a representative democracy. Its president, Bernardo Arévalo de León, has led the country since Jan 15, 2024. Guatemala has had 43 presidents since 1839. Under the Regimes of the World classification, it counts as an electoral democracy.

Tenure records

Longest-serving

Manuel Estrada Cabrera

8,101 days

Shortest-serving

Carlos Enrique Díaz de León

1 days

Average tenure

1,207 days

Bernardo Arévalo de León: 17% below average

Female leaders

1 of 43

First: Otto Pérez Molina (2012)

Recent presidents by days in office

Is a leader's tenure getting longer or shorter in Guatemala?

Across 44 completed terms, the average president of Guatemala has served 1,207 days (about 3.3 years). That has stayed fairly steady: the last five completed terms averaged 1,169 days.

One completed term Average tenure per decade

All presidents of Guatemala

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Days
45	Bernardo Arévalo de León	Jan 15, 2024	Incumbent	1,006
44	Alejandro Giammattei	Jan 14, 2020	Jan 14, 2024	1,461
43	Jimmy Morales	Jan 14, 2016	Jan 14, 2020	1,461
42	Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre	Sep 3, 2015	Jan 14, 2016	133
41	Otto Pérez Molina	Jan 14, 2012	Sep 3, 2015	1,328
40	Álvaro Colom	Jan 14, 2008	Jan 14, 2012	1,461
39	Óscar Berger	Jan 14, 2004	Jan 14, 2008	1,461
38	Alfonso Portillo	Jan 14, 2000	Jan 14, 2004	1,461
37	Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen	Jan 14, 1996	Jan 14, 2000	1,461
36	Ramiro de León Carpio	Jun 6, 1993	Jan 14, 1996	952
35	Gustavo Adolfo Espina Salguero	Jun 1, 1993	Jun 5, 1993	4
34	Jorge Serrano Elías	Jan 14, 1991	Jun 1, 1993	869
33	Vinicio Cerezo	Jan 14, 1986	Jan 14, 1991	1,826
32	Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores	Aug 8, 1983	Jan 14, 1986	890
31	Efraín Ríos Montt	Mar 23, 1982	Aug 8, 1983	503
30	Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio	Jul 1, 1970	Jul 1, 1974	1,461
29	Julio César Méndez Montenegro	Jul 1, 1966	Jul 1, 1970	1,461
28	Enrique Peralta Azurdia	Mar 31, 1963	Jul 1, 1966	1,188
27	Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes	Mar 2, 1958	Mar 31, 1963	1,855
26	Guillermo Flores Avendaño	Oct 26, 1957	Mar 2, 1958	127
25	Óscar Mendoza Azurdia	Oct 24, 1957	Oct 26, 1957	2
24	Luis Arturo González López	Jul 26, 1957	Oct 24, 1957	90
23	Carlos Castillo Armas	Sep 1, 1954	Jul 26, 1957	1,059
22	Carlos Castillo Armas	Jul 7, 1954	Jul 26, 1957	1,115
21	Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre	Jun 29, 1954	Jul 8, 1954	9
20	Carlos Enrique Díaz de León	Jun 27, 1954	Jun 28, 1954	1
19	Jacobo Árbenz	Mar 15, 1951	Jun 27, 1954	1,200
18	Juan José Arévalo	Mar 15, 1945	Mar 15, 1951	2,191
17	Jorge Toriello Garrido	Oct 20, 1944	Mar 15, 1945	146
16	Francisco Javier Arana	Oct 20, 1944	Mar 15, 1945	146
15	Juan Federico Ponce Vaides	Jul 4, 1944	Oct 20, 1944	108
14	Jorge Ubico	Feb 14, 1931	Jul 1, 1944	4,886
13	José María Reyna Andrade	Jan 2, 1931	Feb 14, 1931	43
12	Manuel María Orellana Contreras	Dec 17, 1930	Jan 2, 1931	16
11	Baudilio Palma	Dec 13, 1930	Dec 17, 1930	4
10	Lázaro Chacón González	Sep 26, 1926	Jan 2, 1931	1,559
9	José María Orellana	Dec 10, 1921	Sep 26, 1926	1,751
8	Carlos Herrera y Luna	Mar 30, 1920	Dec 10, 1921	620
7	Manuel Estrada Cabrera	Feb 8, 1898	Apr 15, 1920	8,101
6	Vicente Cerna Sandoval	May 24, 1865	Jun 29, 1871	2,227
5	Pedro de Aycinena y Piñol	Apr 14, 1865	May 24, 1865	40
4	Rafael Carrera	Nov 6, 1851	Apr 14, 1865	4,908
3	Rafael Carrera	Mar 21, 1847	Aug 17, 1848	515
2	José Venancio López	Feb 25, 1842	Nov 5, 1842	253
1	Mariano Rivera Paz	Dec 3, 1839	Dec 14, 1841	742

Officeholder history via Wikidata. Multiple rows for one person indicate separate terms.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the President of Guatemala?: Bernardo Arévalo de León has been President of Guatemala since Jan 15, 2024.
How is the leader of Guatemala chosen?: Guatemala is governed as a presidential system with a representative democracy. Its president, Bernardo Arévalo de León, has led the country since Jan 15, 2024. Guatemala has had 43 presidents since 1839. Under the Regimes of the World classification, it counts as an electoral democracy.
Who is the longest-serving President of Guatemala?: Manuel Estrada Cabrera, with 8,101 days in office.
Are leaders serving longer or shorter terms in Guatemala?: Across 44 completed terms, the average president of Guatemala has served 1,207 days (about 3.3 years). That has stayed fairly steady: the last five completed terms averaged 1,169 days.
Has Guatemala ever had a female president?: Yes. Guatemala has had 1 female president. The first was Otto Pérez Molina, who took office in 2012.