Singapore's PM Lee world's highest paid leader

Singapore's PM Lee world's highest paid leader

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the world’s highest paid leader, paid four times more than anyone else, according to The Times. He is also paid more per head of population than any other leader in the world, according to the Australian.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd – the tenth highest paid leader – gets only a tenth as much and President Barack Obama – the third highest paid – less than a quarter of PM Lee’s salary. Even the second highest paid, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yum-Kuen, gets only about a quarter as much.

If PM Lee’s 3.76 million Singapore dollar ($2.47 million) annual salary is divided by Singapore’s population, he is paid 54 cents per head, reports the Australian. President Obama gets only 0.4 cent – less than a cent. Donald Tsang gets 7 cents. He is third on that list. The second placed Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen gets 9 cents. Kevin Rudd gets one cent. Everyone else gets less than a cent.

Both The Times and the Australian are Rupert Murdoch publications. He also owns the Wall Street Journal, which was recently fined by a court in Singapore for “scandalizing the judiciary” with unwarranted remarks about the legal system.

But The Times says it wanted to find out how Gordon Brown was doing paywise compared with other leaders. It turns out he is the seventh highest paid. The Times says:

With the G20 leaders in the country we thought it was worth getting a snapshot of how much the highest paid presidents and prime ministers around the world earn.

Let’s look at the lists.

The Times list of highest paid leaders

1. Lee Hsien Loong - Singapore

Salary in dollars - $2.47 million

Salary in local currency - S$3.76 million

2. Donald Tsang Yum-Kuen - Hong Kong

Salary in dollars - $516,000

Salary in local currency - HK$4 million

3. Barack Obama - United States

Salary in dollars - $400,000

4. Brian Cowen - Ireland

Salary in dollars - $341,000

Salary in local currency - €257,000

5. Nicolas Sarkozy - France

Salary in dollars - $318,000

Salary in local currency - €240,000

6. Angela Merkel - Germany

Salary in dollars - $303,000

Salary in local currency - €228,000

7. Gordon Brown - UK

Salary in dollars - $279,000

Salary in local currency - £194,250

8. Stephen Harper - Canada

Salary in dollars - $246,000

Salary in local currency - C$311,000

9. Taro Aso - Japan

Salary in dollars - $243,000

Salary in local currency - Y24 million

10. Kevin Rudd - Australia

Salary in dollars - $229,000

Salary in local currency - A$330,000

The pecking order changes somewhat if the leaders’ pay is divided by the total population.

But Singapore’s PM also tops that list compiled by the Australian.

The Australian list of highest paid leaders per head of population

1. Lee Hsien Loong - Singapore
Salary: $2.47 million
Per head of population: 54c

2. Brian Cowen - Ireland
Salary: $341,000
Per head of population: 9c

3. Donald Tsang Yum-Kuen - Hong Kong
Salary: $516,000
Per head of population: 7c

4. Kevin Rudd - Australia
Salary: $229,000
Per head of population: 1c

5. Stephen Harper - Canada
Salary: $246,000
Per head of population: 0.7c

6. Nicolas Sarkozy - France
Salary: $318,000
Per head of population: 0.5c

7. Gordon Brown - UK
Salary: $279,000
Per head of population: 0.5c

8. Angela Merkel - Germany
Salary: $303,000
Per head of population: 0.4c

9. Taro Aso - Japan
Salary: $243,000
Per head of population: 0.2c

10. Barack Obama - United States
Salary: $400,000
Per head of population: 0.1c

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