Biography CompassLives that shaped the world
Search
Explore Biography CompassBrowse biographies by field and collection.

Collection · Politics

1957—Today

Malaysia’s
Deputy Prime Ministers

Fifteen tenures, fourteen people and an office that moved from a single line of succession to Malaysia’s first co-deputy premiership in 2022.

How to use this collection

Follow the office timeline, then open each sourced biography for the person’s wider career. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi appears twice because he has served in two non-consecutive periods. Since December 2022, he and Fadillah Yusof have held the office simultaneously.

  1. 01Abdul Razak Hussein
  2. 02Ismail Abdul Rahman
  3. 03Hussein Onn
  4. 04Mahathir Mohamad
  5. 05Musa Hitam
  6. 06Ghafar Baba
  7. 07Anwar Ibrahim
  8. 08Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
  9. 09Najib Razak
  10. 10Muhyiddin Yassin
  11. 11Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
  12. 12Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
  13. 13Ismail Sabri Yaakob
  14. 14Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
  15. 15Fadillah Yusof

Fourteen sourced biographies

Meet every holder of the office

Portrait of Hussein Onn wearing spectacles and a songkokMalaysia · Politics

1922—1990

Hussein Onn

Third Prime Minister of MalaysiaA soldier, civil servant and lawyer who became Malaysia’s third prime minister and made national unity the defining language of his administration.Read biography
Mahathir Mohamad speaking at Chatham House in 2018Malaysia · Politics

1925—

Mahathir Mohamad

Fourth and seventh Prime Minister of MalaysiaA physician-politician whose two premierships—separated by fifteen years—made him the longest-serving and one of the most consequential leaders in Malaysian history.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics

1934—

Musa Hitam

Fifth Deputy Prime Minister of MalaysiaA former deputy prime minister whose career moved from UMNO leadership and cabinet government to diplomacy, human-rights work and major corporate boards.Read biography
Anwar Ibrahim during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2019Malaysia · Politics

1947—

Anwar Ibrahim

Tenth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA student activist turned government minister, opposition leader and Malaysia’s tenth prime minister after one of the longest routes to national office.Read biography
Portrait of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in 2015Malaysia · Politics

1953—

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional DevelopmentThe UMNO president and Bagan Datuk member of Parliament who returned to the deputy premiership in 2022 after first holding the office from 2015 to 2018.Read biography
Fadillah Yusof delivering a Deepavali address in 2021Malaysia · Politics

1962—

Fadillah Yusof

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water TransformationA Sarawak lawyer and long-serving Petra Jaya member of Parliament who became the first deputy prime minister from East Malaysia in 2022.Read biography

Quick answers

Malaysia deputy prime minister FAQs

Who was Malaysia’s first deputy prime minister?
Abdul Razak Hussein became the first deputy prime minister when the Federation of Malaya gained independence in 1957. He served until becoming prime minister in 1970.
Who was Malaysia’s first woman deputy prime minister?
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail became the first woman to hold the office in May 2018 and served until February 2020.
When did Malaysia first appoint two deputy prime ministers?
Malaysia first appointed two deputy prime ministers at the same time on 3 December 2022: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof.
Who was the first deputy prime minister from Sarawak?
Fadillah Yusof became the first deputy prime minister from Sarawak and East Malaysia in December 2022.