From selling tea on the streets of India to driving buses in Venezuela, the personal histories of many of today’s and past world leaders shows a totally different journey towards attaining power.
Across continents and political systems, several heads of government and state began their working lives in modest or unconventional professions before rising to national and global prominence.
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose rule has come to an end following US military intervention in the country, worked as a bus driver in Caracas before becoming involved in trade union activities and politics.
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early life as a tea seller at a railway station has become one of the most widely cited stories in modern Indian politics.
Modi, now in his third term in office, frequently references his upbringing as part of his political identity, particularly as India continues to assert itself as a major global and economic power.
In the United States, President Donald Trump built his career in real estate before entering politics, while his predecessor Joe Biden has spoken publicly about undertaking maintenance work earlier in his life before embarking on a long political career that eventually led him to the White House.
While former President Barack Obama worked briefly as an ice-cream scooper during his youth.
Africa has also produced leaders whose paths to office were shaped by careers outside politics.
Liberia’s former president George Weah rose to international fame as a professional footballer before transitioning into public service.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu trained and worked as an accountant, while former South African president Nelson Mandela practised law before becoming a central figure in the country’s anti-apartheid struggle.
In Europe, German former chancellor Angela Merkel was a trained chemist before entering politics, while French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy worked as a cleaner during his youth. In the United Kingdom, former prime minister Boris Johnson began his professional life as a journalist.
Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg also worked in journalism before later serving as prime minister and subsequently becoming NATO secretary general.
Eastern Europe and Russia present similarly diverse backgrounds. Russian President Vladimir Putin served as a KGB officer during the Soviet era, while former president Dmitry Medvedev reportedly worked as a street cleaner as a student.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky built a career in entertainment as a comedian before entering politics, a background that has drawn renewed attention amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Elsewhere, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sold lemonade as a youth, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked as a bouncer, and Iceland’s former prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir worked as a flight attendant.
Religious and military paths have also featured. Pope Francis worked as a nightclub bouncer in his youth, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served as a soldier.
China’s President Xi Jinping spent time working as a farmer during the Cultural Revolution, an experience frequently referenced in official biographies.
Past jobs of selected world leaders:
Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) – Bus Driver
Donald Trump (United States) – Real Estate Developer
Narendra Modi (India) – Tea Seller
Bola Tinubu (Nigeria) – Accountant
Imran Khan (Pakistan) – Cricketer
Vladimir Putin (Russia) – Intelligence Agent
Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine) – Comedian
Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) – Soldier
Barack Obama (United States) – Ice Cream Scooper
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey) – Lemonade Seller
George Weah (Liberia) – Soccer Player
Angela Merkel (Germany) – Chemist
Edi Rama (Albania) – Painter
Tony Abbott (Australia) – Trainee Priest
Boiko Borisov (Bulgaria) – Bodyguard
Justin Trudeau (Canada) – Bouncer
Stephen Harper (Canada) – Mailroom Assistant
Ivo Josipovic (Croatia) – Music Composer
Nicolas Sarkozy (France) – Cleaner
Jimmy Morales (Guatemala) – Comedian
Johanna Sigurdardottir (Iceland) – Flight Attendant
Michael D. Higgins (Ireland) – Waiter
Silvio Berlusconi (Italy) – Singer
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) – Drugstore Clerk
Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania) – Factory Worker
Andy Rajoelina (Madagascar) – DJ
Khaltmaagiin Battulga (Mongolia) – Wrestler
Jens Stoltenberg (Norway) – Journalist
Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) – Street Cleaner
Borut Pahor (Slovenia) – Model
Adama Barrow (Gambia) – Security Guard
Boris Johnson (United Kingdom) – Journalist
Joe Biden (United States) – Maintenance Worker
Tabaré Vázquez (Uruguay) – Oncologist
Pope Francis (Vatican City) – Nightclub Bouncer
Nelson Mandela (South Africa) – Lawyer
Shinzo Abe (Japan) – Steel Plant Worker
Michelle Bachelet (Chile) – Paediatrician
Moon Jae-in (South Korea) – Human Rights Lawyer
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Argentina) – Lawyer
Dilma Rousseff (Brazil) – Guerrilla Fighter
Alexis Tsipras (Greece) – Civil Engineer
Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) – Policy Adviser
Mark Rutte (Netherlands) – Teacher
Enrique Peña Nieto (Mexico) – Lawyer
Mariano Rajoy (Spain) – Property Registrar
Salman bin Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia) – Deputy Governor
Saddam Hussein (Iraq) – Ba’ath Party Organiser
Hassan Rouhani (Iran) – Cleric
Prayut Chan-o-cha (Thailand) – Army Officer
Xi Jinping (China) – Farmer
Andrzej Duda (Poland) – Lawyer
Source: https://x.com/i/status/2007408269514432847
