He is the prime minister of one of the smallest countries on the planet. But he tops the payroll among the world’s heads of state and government, according to the website “24/7 Wall Street.”

Every year, NOK 13.7 million goes to the account of Lee Hsien Loong – Prime Minister of the small country of Singapore. It is true that he leads a rich country where people earn well, but the differences are huge.

Gross national product per capita in Singapore is about 87,000 dollars – about one-twentieth the salary of the head of government.

20 highest paid

US website “Wall Street 24/7” has made a list of the 20 highest paid executives in the world. This list is based on information from the International Monetary Fund, CIA World Factbook and government websites of various countries.

Among the names on the list are the prime ministers of three Nordic countries. Denmark is number 15, Sweden is number 16, and Iceland is number 17.

Norway is not on the list, as Erna Solberg’s annual salary is “only” NOK 1,680,277 per year – about three times the average Norwegian salary. There is a very low wage gap in the international context.

It is also interesting to note that the little Icelandic prime minister earns just over two million kroner per year, which is slightly more than his Norwegian counterpart.

Trump gave away his salary

Number two on the list of the world’s highest-paid leaders is Hong Kong’s controversial head of government Carrie Lam, who has an annual income of 568,000 US dollars – just under five million Norwegian kroner.

Then followed Ueli Maurer, who is chairman of the Swiss Federal Council, and also the country’s head of state. He has an annual salary of 483,000 dollars, more than four million kroner, which is about eight times the average Swiss salary.

Only in fourth position is the president of the only superpower in the world. Donald Trump earns four million kroner a year as US head of state, but he chooses to donate his salary to “good causes”. But, as we know: Rich businessmen still like salt in their food.

Here’s the whole list

1. Prime Minister of Singapore, NOK 13.7 million (USD 1,610,000)
2. Leader in Hong Kong, NOK 4.8 million (US$568,400)
3. President of Switzerland, 4.1 million kroner (482,958 dollars)
4. President of the United States, NOK 3.4 million (US$400,000)
5. Prime Minister of Australia, NOK 3.2 million (US$378,415)
6. German Chancellor, NOK 3.1 million (US$369,727)
7. Prime Minister of New Zealand, NOK 2.9 million (US$339,862)
8. President of Mauritania, NOK 2.8 million (US$330,000)
9. Austrian Federal Chancellor, NOK 2.8 million ($328,584)
10. Prime Minister of Luxembourg, NOK 2.3 million ($278,035)
11. President of South Africa, NOK 2.3 million ($273,470)
12. Prime Minister of Canada, NOK 2.2 million ($267,041)
13. Prime Minister of Belgium, NOK 2.2 million ($262,964)
14. Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, NOK 2.1 million ($254,660)
15. Prime Minister of Denmark, NOK 2.1 million ($249,774)
16. Prime Minister of Sweden, NOK 2 million ($244,615)
17. Prime Minister of Iceland, NOK 2 million (US$242,619)
18. Minister of Defense in Ireland, NOK 2 million ($234,447)
19. President of Guatemala, NOK 1.9 million ($227,099)
20. Prime Minister of France, NOK 1.8 million (US$220,505)

Leaders in countries such as Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia are not on the list due to a lack of data.

Salary in heaven

Pope Francis, who is the leader of nearly 1.3 billion people, gets nothing in return. The Pope in Rome does not receive a salary, but of course his expenses are covered by the Catholic Church and the Vatican State.

According to tradition, a Pope should receive three coins for each year of service, one in gold, one in silver, and one in copper. And when he dies, all these coins must be placed in his coffin. I guess that’s what you call getting your reward in heaven.