SINGAPORE, Sept 15 — For a small island nation, Singapore surprisingly pays its prime minister Lawrence Wong more than any other world leader: US$1.69 million (RM2.19 million) a year.
According to website PoliticalSalaries.com, which compiles data on politician salaries the world over, it’s more than twice what the second-ranked Viola Amherd earns as Switzerland’s president — US$570,000 a year.
While Singapore’s prime minister salary is 1,320 per cent of the country’s GDP per capita, it’s not the highest in that comparison — Kenya’s William Rutto earns US$136,000 or a whopping 2,360 per cent.
The rest of the top 10 highest paid are all in Western countries, with Australia paying its prime minister around US$412,500 while US President Joe Biden earns a clean US$400,000 per year.
As for lowest salaries, Ethiopia’s president earns just US$1,800 per year while Nigeria’s president earns US$2,200, the two lowest salaries listed on the website.