The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Qatar

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This page contains a list of the greatest Qatari Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 12 of which were born in Qatar. This makes Qatar the birth place of the 137th most number of Politicians behind Zimbabwe, and Burundi.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Qatari Politicians of all time. This list of famous Qatari Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Qatari Politicians.

Photo of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

1. Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 69.93, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is the most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 55 different languages on wikipedia.

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (Arabic: حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 1 January 1952) is a member of Qatar's royal family, the House of Thani. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013 when he abdicated the throne, handing power to his fourth son Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who was born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nassir. The Qatari government refers to him as the Father Emir. Hamad seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless palace coup d'état in 1995. During his 18-year rule, Qatar's natural gas production reached 77 million tonnes, making Qatar the richest country in the world per capita with the average income in the country US$86,440 a year per person. During his reign, several sports and diplomatic events took place in Qatar, including the 2006 Asian Games, 2012 UN Climate Change Conference, Doha Agreement, Fatah–Hamas Doha Agreement, and it was decided that the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be held in the country. He established the Qatar Investment Authority. By 2013, it had invested over $100 billion around the world, including The Shard, Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen, Siemens, and Royal Dutch Shell. Hamad ruled a sovereign regime in Qatar without any support from opposition political parties. During Hamad's rule, Qatar hosted two U.S. military bases. It also maintained relations with Iran. The Sheikh founded news media group Al Jazeera. He also played a part in negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban. In June 2013, Hamad, in a brief televised address, announced that he would hand power to his fourth son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Photo of Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani

2. Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani (1932 - 2016)

With an HPI of 67.11, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani is the 2nd most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani (Arabic: خليفة بن حمد آل ثاني; 17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa in a coup on 27 June 1995. He died during the reign of his grandson, the current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Photo of Moza bint Nasser

3. Moza bint Nasser (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 67.03, Moza bint Nasser is the 3rd most famous Qatari Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned (Arabic: موزا بنت ناصر المسند; born 8 August 1959) is one of the three consorts of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar. She is the mother of the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. She is the co-founder and chair of the Qatar Foundation, the largest state-owned nonprofit organization in the country. The Guardian has labelled her "the enlightened face of a profoundly conservative regime" and that she "represents one of the world’s most repressive families".

Photo of Mohammed bin Thani

4. Mohammed bin Thani (1788 - 1878)

With an HPI of 63.65, Mohammed bin Thani is the 4th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Mohammed bin Thani (Arabic: محمد بن ثاني; c. 1788 – 18 December 1878), also known as Mohammed bin Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir (Arabic: محمد بن ثاني بن محمد آل ثامر), was the first ruler from the House of Thani to rule the whole Qatari Peninsula, officially being recognized by the British in September 1868 following a meeting with British representative Lewis Pelly. He is known for being the father of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of Qatar and who fended off the Ottoman army in the late 19th century.

Photo of Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani

5. Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani (1920 - 1977)

With an HPI of 62.18, Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani is the 5th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (Arabic: أحمد بن علي بن عبد الله بن جاسم بن محمد آل ثاني; 1922 – 25 November 1977) was the Emir of Qatar who ruled from 1960 to 1972. Qatar's financial status improved significantly during his reign as a result of the enrichment and discovery of several new oil fields. Qatar also became a sovereign state in September 1971 under his rule. He was deposed in February 1972 by his cousin, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani.

Photo of Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

6. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 62.13, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the 6th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 68 different languages.

Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (Arabic: تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني, romanized: Tamīm bin Ḥamad bin Khalīfa Āl Thānī; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir apparent in 2003 when his older brother Sheikh Jassim renounced his claim to the throne. He became emir when his father abdicated in his favour in 2013.

Photo of Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani

7. Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani (1880 - 1957)

With an HPI of 58.42, Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani is the 7th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (Arabic: عبد الله بن جاسم بن محمد آل ثاني), also known as Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani or Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani, was the Emir of Qatar from 1913 to 1949. Oil was discovered in Qatar for the first time during his rule.

Photo of Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani

8. Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 57.12, Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani is the 8th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani (Arabic: عبد الله بن ناصر بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 1960) is a Qatari politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Qatar from 26 June 2013 until his resignation on 28 January 2020. A member of the ruling family, he was Minister of State for Internal Affairs from 2005 to 2013.

Photo of Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani

9. Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 56.71, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is the 9th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Mohammed bin Thani Al Thani (Arabic: حمد بن جاسم بن جبر آل ثاني; born 1959), also known informally by his initials HBJ, is a Qatari politician. He was the Prime Minister of Qatar from 3 April 2007 to 26 June 2013, and foreign minister from 11 January 1992 to 26 June 2013.

Photo of Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani

10. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 55.51, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is the 10th most famous Qatari Politician.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الرحمن بن جاسم بن جبر الثاني; born 1 November 1980) is a Qatari diplomat, economist, and politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Qatar since 7 March 2023 and Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2016. He has also been serving as Chairman of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) since 2014, and is a member of Qatar's Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investments (SCEAI) since 2014. Sheikh Mohammed previously served as the country's deputy prime minister from 2017 to 2023 and Chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority from 2018 to 2023.

People

Pantheon has 12 people classified as Qatari politicians born between 1788 and 1980. Of these 12, 6 (50.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Qatari politicians include Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Moza bint Nasser, and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The most famous deceased Qatari politicians include Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Mohammed bin Thani, and Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani. As of April 2024, 12 new Qatari politicians have been added to Pantheon including Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, and Moza bint Nasser.

Living Qatari Politicians

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Deceased Qatari Politicians

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Newly Added Qatari Politicians (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Politicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Politicians since 1700.