List of state leaders in 1879
State leaders in 1878 - Events of 1879 - State leaders in 1880 - State leaders by year
Africa
- Ashanti Confederacy - Mensa Bonsu Kumaa, Asantehene (1874-1883)
- Burundi - Mwezi IV Gisabo, King of Burundi (1852-1908)
- Dahomey - Glele, King of Dahomey (1856-1889)
- Ethiopia - Yohannes IV, Emperor of Ethiopia (1871-1889)
- Liberia - Anthony William Gerdner, President of Liberia (1878-1883)
- Zanzibar - Barghash ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Zanzibar (1870-1888)
- Zulu - Cetshwayo kaMpande, King of the Zulu (1872-1884)
Asia
- Afghanistan - Shir Ali Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1868-1879)
- Ghazni
- Declared independence on 24 December
- Musa Jan Khan, Emir of Ghazni (1879-1880)
- Ghazni
- Burma - Thibaw Min, King of Burma (1878-1885)
- Cambodia - Norodom, King of Cambodia (1860-1904)
- Champasak - Kham Suk, King of Champasak (1863-1900)
- China (Qing Dynasty) - Guangxu, Emperor of China (1875-1908)
- India - Victoria, Empress of India (1876-1901)
- Japan - Mutsuhito, The Meiji Emperor (1867-1912)
- Korea - Gojong, King of Choson/Korea (1864-1897/1907)
- Luang Phrabang - Unkham, King of Luang Phrabang (1868-1895)
- Nepal - Surendra Bikram Shah Deva, King of Nepal (1847-1881)
- Siam - Chulalongkorn (Rama V), King of Siam (1868-1910)
- Vietnam - Tu Duc, Emperor of Vietnam (1847-1883)
Australia and Oceania
Europe
- Andorra - Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta (President of France) and Josep Caixal i Estradé (Bishop of Urgel), co-Princes (1873-1879 and 1853-1879)
- Austria-Hungary - Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (1848-1916)
- Belgium - Leopold II, King of the Belgians (1865-1909)
- Denmark
- Monarch - Christian IX, King of Denmark (1863-1906)
- Prime Minister - Jakob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup, Prime Minister of Denmark (1875-1894)
- France -
- President -
- Prime Minister -
- Germany -
- Monarch - Wilhelm I, German Emperor (1871-1888)
- Chancellor - Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany (1871-1890)
- see List of German rulers in 1879
- Greece - George I, King of the Hellenes (1863-1913)
- Holy See - Pope Leo XIII, Bishop of Rome (1878-1903)
- Italy
- Monarch - Umberto I, King of Italy (1878-1900)
- Prime Minister -
- Liechtenstein - Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858-1929)
- Luxembourg - Guillaume III, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1849-1890)
- Montenegro - Nicholas I, Prince of Montenegro (1860-1910/1918/1921)
- Netherlands -
- Monarch - William III, King of the Netherlands (1849-1890)
- Prime Minister -
- Jan Kappeyne van de Copello, Former of the Cabinet (1877-1879)
- Theo graaf van Lynden van Sandenburg, Former of the Cabinet (1879-1883)
- Norway - Oscar II, King of Norway (1872-1905)
- Monaco - Charles III, Prince of Monaco (1856-1889)
- Portugal - Luis I, King of Portugal (1861-1889)
- Romania - Carol I, Prince of Romania (1866-1881/1914)
- Russia - Alexander II, Tsar of Russia (1855-1881)
- San Marino - Camillo Bonelli and Pietro Berti, Captains Regent (1878-1879)
- Serbia - Milan II, Prince of Serbia (1868-1882/1889)
- Spain -
- Monarch - Alfonso XII of Spain, King of Spain (1875-1885)
- Antonio Cánovas Del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain (1874-1875, 1875-1879, 1879-1881, 1884-1885, 1890-1892, 1895-1897)
- Arsenio Martínez-Campos Antón, Prime Minister of Spain (1879)
- Antonio Cánovas Del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain (1874-1875, 1875-1879, 1879-1881, 1884-1885, 1890-1892, 1895-1897)
- Monarch - Alfonso XII of Spain, King of Spain (1875-1885)
- Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden-Norway
- Monarch - Oscar II, King of Sweden (1872-1907)
- Prime Minister - Louis Gerhard De Geer, Prime Minister of Sweden (1876-1880)
- United Kingdom -
- Monarch - Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837-1901)
- Prime Minister - Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1868, 1874-1880)
Middle East and North Africa
- Abu Dhabi - Zaid ibn Khalifa, Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (1855-1909)
- Egypt -
- Monarch -
- Morocco - Hassan I, Sultan of Morocco (1873-1894)
- Oman - Turki ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Oman (1871-1888)
- Ottoman Empire
- Persia - Nasir ed-Din, Shah of Persia (1848-1896)
- Tunis - Muhammad as-Sadiq, Bey of Tunis (1859-1882)
North America and the Caribbean
- Canada -
- Monarch - Victoria, Queen of Canada (1837-1901)
- Governor General - Marquess of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada (1878-1883)
- Prime Minister - John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada (1867-1891)
- Costa Rica - Tomás Guardia, Acting President of Costa Rica (1877-1880/1882)
- Dominican Republic - Council of Secretaries of State (1878-1879
- El Salvador - Rafael Zaldívar, President of El Salvador (1876-1885)
- Guatemala - Justo Rufino Barrios, President of Guatemala (1873-1885)
- Haiti -
- Honduras - Marco Aurelio Soto, President of Honduras (1876-1883)
- Mexico - Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico (1876-1880)
- Nicaragua -
- United States - Rutherford B. Hayes, President of the United States (1877-1881)
South America
- Argentina - Nicolás Avellaneda, President of Argentina (1874-1880)
- Bolivia - Hilarión Daza, Provisional President of Bolivia (1876-1879)
- Brazil - Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil (1831-1889)
- Chile - Aníbal Pinto, President of Chile (1876-1881)
- Colombia - Julián Trujillo Largacha, President of Colombia (1878-1880)
- Ecuador - Ignacio de Veintemilla, Supreme Chief of Ecuador (1876-1878/1883)
- Paraguay - Cándido Bareiro, President of Paraguay (1878-1880)
- Peru -
- Uruguay - Lorenzo Latorre, Provisional Governor of Uruguay (1876-1879)
- Venezuela - Jacinto Gutiérrez Martínez, acting President of Venezuela (1878-1879)