Malaysia · Politics1903—1990
Collection · Politics
1957—TodayMalaysia’s
Prime Ministers
Ten premierships, nine people and one office at the centre of Malaysia’s story—from independence and development to reform and political realignment.
How to use this collection
Start with the office timeline, then open a biography for the person’s full chronology, historical context, image credit and reviewed sources. Mahathir Mohamad appears twice in the timeline because he served two non-consecutive terms.
- 01Tunku Abdul Rahman
- 02Abdul Razak Hussein
- 03Hussein Onn
- 04Mahathir Mohamad
- 05Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
- 06Najib Razak
- 07Mahathir Mohamad
- 08Muhyiddin Yassin
- 09Ismail Sabri Yaakob
- 10Anwar Ibrahim
Nine biographies
Meet every holder of the office
Malaysia · Politics
Malaysia · Politics1922—1976
Abdul Razak Hussein
Second Prime Minister of MalaysiaMalaysia’s second prime minister, remembered for rural development, post-1969 reconstruction and a far-reaching programme of social and economic restructuring.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1922—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
Malaysia · Politics1925—
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 · Politics1939—2025
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Fifth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA career civil servant and politician whose premiership opened with a reform mandate and Malaysia’s largest parliamentary victory.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1953—
Najib Razak
Sixth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA political heir who led Malaysia for nine years before an historic election defeat and a later conviction in the SRC International case.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1947—
Muhyiddin Yassin
Eighth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA veteran Johor politician who became prime minister after the 2020 coalition crisis and governed through the most disruptive phase of the pandemic.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1960—
Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Ninth Prime Minister of MalaysiaA long-serving minister who became prime minister during the pandemic and led Malaysia through reopening, a cross-party reform accord and the 2022 election.Read biography
Malaysia · Politics1947—