Government and power in Cyprus
Who leads Cyprus, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.
Who leads Cyprus?
- Head of state: Nikos Christodoulides (President of the Republic of Cyprus)
- Head of government: No Prime Minister
- Foreign minister: Constantinos Kombos (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Cyprus score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 74.2 out of 100 in 2025, 41st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 74.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 76.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Cyprus score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 73.3 out of 100 in 2025, 74th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 73.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 77.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Cyprus score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 69.4 out of 100 in 2025, 41st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 69.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 73.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Cyprus score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 70.2 out of 100 in 2025, 34th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 66.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 72.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Cyprus score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 70.8 out of 100 in 2025, 41st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 70.8). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 72.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Cyprus score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 58.8 out of 100 in 2025, 57th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 60.7). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 61.8.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Cyprus's parliament?
Women held 14.3% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 148th highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Cyprus's ministers are women?
Women held 33.3% of ministerial posts in 2025, 41st highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Cyprus spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 38.5% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Cyprus collect?
Central government tax revenue was 23.9% of GDP in 2024, 18th highest of 92.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Cyprus spend on the military?
Military spending was 1.6% of GDP in 2025, 77th highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Cyprus?
Armed forces personnel numbered 13,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Cyprus's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 85.1 out of 100 in 2024, 40th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Cyprus?
100.0% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2022).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Cyprus use the internet?
89.6% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Cyprus
Government
- Government of the Republic of Cyprus portalCentral portal for ministries, government departments and public services.
Parliament
- House of RepresentativesBills, laws passed, plenary minutes and committee reports of the House of Representatives.
Elections
- Central Election Service, Ministry of InteriorOfficial results, electoral rolls and procedures for parliamentary, presidential, European and local elections.
Courts
- Supreme Court of CyprusJudgments, announcements and practice information from the Supreme Court and the courts of Cyprus.
Public audit
- Audit Office of the RepublicAudit reports on government ministries, semi-government bodies and local authorities.
Ombudsman
- Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human RightsReports on complaints of maladministration and human-rights issues.
Access to information
- Information CommissionerOversight and complaints under the law on access to public-sector information.
Public contracts
- eProcurement SystemPublic tender notices and documents for Cypriot contracting authorities.
Laws and the official gazette
- Government Printing Office (Official Gazette of the Republic)The Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus, in which laws, regulations and official notices are published.
Government below the national level
- District self-government organisations (5: Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta): Elected first in June 2024
- District administrations (state): District officer appointed by the Ministry of the Interior
- Municipalities (20 since July 2024): Mayor and council directly elected for five years (last June 2024); municipal districts within merged municipalities also elect representatives
- Communities (about 300): Community leader (proedros) and council directly elected
How local power works in Cyprus
Places in Cyprus
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.