List of state leaders in 1878

State leaders in 1877 - Events of 1878 - State leaders in 1879 - 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 -
  1. James Spriggs Payne, President of Liberia (1876-1878)
  2. 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)
• Burma -
  1. Mindon Min, King of Burma (1853-1878)
  2. 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 -
  • Monarch - Victoria, Empress of India (1876-1901)
  • Viceroy - The Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India (1876-1880)
• 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)

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 - Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta, President of France (1873-1879)
  • Prime Minister - Jules Dufaure, President of the Council (1877-1879)
• Germany -
  • Monarch - Wilhelm I, German Emperor (1871-1888)
  • Chancellor - Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany (1871-1890)
  • see also List of German rulers in 1878
• Greece - George I, King of the Hellenes (1863-1913)
• Holy See -
  1. Pope Pius IX, Bishop of Rome (1846-1878)
  2. Pope Leo XIII, Bishop of Rome (1878-1903)
• Italy
  • Monarch -
    1. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy (1861-1878)
    2. Umberto I, King of Italy (1878-1900)
  • Prime Minister -
    1. Agostino Depretis, Prime Minister of Italy (1876-1878)
    2. Benedetto Cairoli, Prime Minister of Italy (1878)
    3. Agostino Depretis, Prime Minister of Italy (1878-1879)
• Liechtenstein - Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858-1929)
• Luxembourg - Guillaume III, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1849-1890)
• Monaco - Charles III, Prince of Monaco (1856-1889)
• 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)
• Norway - Oscar II, King of Norway (1872-1905)
• 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 -
  1. Giuliano Belluzzi and Pietro Ugolini, Captains-General (1877-1878)
  2. Domenico Fattori and Marino Babboni, Captains-General (1878)
  3. Camillo Bonelli and Pietro Berti, Captains-General (1878-1879)
• Serbia - Milan II, Prince of Serbia (1868-1882/1889)
• Spain -
  • Monarch - Alfonso XII of Spain, King of Spain (1875-1885)
  • Prime Minister - Antonio Cánovas Del Castillo, Prime Minister of Spain (1874-1875, 1875-1879, 1879-1881, 1884-1885, 1890-1892, 1895-1897)
• 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)
• Switzerland - Karl Schenk, President of the Swiss Confederation (1878)
• United Kingdom -
  • Monarch - Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837-1901)
  • Prime Minister - The 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 - Ismail, Khedive of Egypt (1867-1879)
• Morocco - Hassan I, Sultan of Morocco (1873-1894)
• Oman - Turki ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Oman (1871-1888)
• Ottoman Empire
  • Monarch - Abd-ul-Hamid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876-1909)
  • Grand Vizier - Tunuslu Ibrahim Edhem Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier (1877- 1878 position discontinued)
  • Chief Minister -
    1. Ahmed Hamdi Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878)
    2. Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878)
    3. Mehmed Sadik Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878)
    4. Mütercim Mehmed Rüstü Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878)
    5. Mehmed Esad Saffet Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878)
    6. Tunuslu Hayreddin Pasha, Chief Minister of the Ottoman Empire (1878-1879)
• 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 -
    1. Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Governor-General of Canada (1872-1878)
    2. 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 -
  1. Buenaventura Báez, President of the Dominican Republic (1876-1878)
  2. Cesáreo Guillermo, President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
  3. Ignacio María González, President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
  4. People's Military Chiefs (1878)
  5. Jacinto del Rosario de Castro, acting President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
  6. 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 - Pierre Théoma Boisrond-Canal, President of Haiti (1876-1879)
• Honduras - Marco Aurelio Soto, President of Honduras (1876-1883)
• Mexico - Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico (1876-1880)
• Nicaragua - Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, President of Nicaragua (1875-1879)
• 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 -
  1. Aquileo Parra, President of Colombia (1876-1878)
  2. Julián Trujillo Largacha, President of Colombia (1878-1880)
• Ecuador - Ignacio de Veintemilla, Supreme Chief of Ecuador (1876-1878/1883)
• Paraguay -
  1. Higinio Uriarte, President of Paraguay (1877-1878)
  2. Cándido Bareiro, President of Paraguay (1878-1880)
• Peru - Mariano Ignacio Prado, President of Peru (1876-1879)
• Uruguay - Lorenzo Latorre, Provisional Governor of Uruguay (1876-1879)
• Venezuela -
  1. Francisco Linares Alcántara, President of Venezuela (1877-1878)
  2. Jacinto Gutiérrez Martínez, Acting President of Venezuela (1878-1879)