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This is a list of currently reigning monarchs in their respective nations or sub-nations. Monarchs who were deposed or who ruled an abolished monarchy appear separately.
Official recognition of royal entitlements and accompanying privy purses were abolished in the Republic of India through a constitutional amendment on 28 December 1971. Royal titles in Pakistan were abolished in January 1972. In many cases, members of the former ruling families of princely states retain a considerable degree of social prestige, and in some instances political influence, in their communities, and many leaders are often still referred to by their claimed titles.
The reigning king selects who will be his successor, whom is not necessarily his eldest son.
The current emir is of the Al-Jaber branch of the family. The Al Sabah are a clan of the Anizah tribe.
The heir is appointed by the reigning emir, and the nomination must also be approved by a majority of members in the National Assembly. The throne is also traditionally alternated between the two main branches of the Al Sabah family: the Al Salem and Al Jaber.
^ Monarchy is constitutional by law, but remains absolute in practice.
The Al Saud are a clan descended from the Hanifa tribe.
The succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia, while hereditary, is not determined by any law of succession. Instead, it is based on the consensus of the House of Saud as to who will be Crown Prince; consensus may change depending on the Crown Prince's actions. In effect, this makes the Saudi monarchy elective within the Saud family. The king's eldest son has not inherited the throne since 1953.
^ The Al Nahyan are a branch of the House of Al Falahi, a clan of the Yas tribe.
The Prime Minister is the head of the government, but the position, whilst elective, can only be held by one of the reigning monarchs of the seven constituent emirates.
According to the Constitution, the President of the United Arab Emirates is elected by the Federal Supreme Council from among the individual rulers of the seven emirates. However, by informal agreement the Presidency is always passed to the head of the Al Nahyan clan, the Emir of Abu Dhabi, which makes it a de facto hereditary position. In addition, the elected Prime Minister has always been the head of the Al Maktoum clan and Emir of Dubai.
The emirates, whilst absolute at the regional level, also forfeit a portion of their sovereignty and administrative power to the federal government.
The Al Sharqi are a branch of the Sharqiyyin tribe.
^ The Al Qasimi are a branch of the Al Qawasim tribe.
Asia
The king is selected for life by the Royal Council of the Throne from amongst candidates of royal blood.
Official title: Yang di-Pertuan Agong. It is commonly rendered in English as "King".
The current Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the Sultan of Terengganu, whose ruling line is the House of Bendahara.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Supreme Head of State) is elected to a five-year term. Nine hereditary rulers from the Malay States form the Council of Rulers, who will determine the next Agong through a secret ballot. The position has to date been, by informal agreement, systematically rotated between the nine; the order was originally based on seniority.
The Hamengkubuwanas are a branch of the Kartasura lineage.
While state law requires that all provincial governors be elected, in the case of Yogyakarta, the sultan is given priority during elections, and therefore is always the default governor. As in other provinces, considerable sovereignty is also ceded to the central government.
Negeri Sembilan is a confederation currently consisting of six states. Seri Menanti is the name of the state from which the ruling line of Negeri Sembilan derives. The ruling lineage is a Minangkabau dynasty.
The Yang di-Pertuan Besar is selected for life by the Undang Laut (the four ruling chiefs of the confederated states of Negeri Sembilan) from amongst four royal princes. These princes are selected by the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Besar from amongst the senior members of the ruling line of Seri Menanti. The undangs themselves cannot stand for election to Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
The current ruling family of Selangor is a Bugis dynasty.
The Bohmong Raja is recognised by the government of Bangladesh as the leader of the Marma population, and the traditional king of the Bohmong Circle (Arvumi), one of three tribal circles in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The Chakma Raja is recognised by the government of Bangladesh as the leader of the Chakma population, and the traditional king of the Chakma Circle (Ramytte), one of three tribal circles in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The Mong Raja is recognised by the government of Bangladesh as the traditional king of the Mong Circle (Phalang Htaung), one of three tribal circles in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
^ One of the four senior states within the traditional confederacy of Negeri Sembilan. Cite error: The named reference "Sembilan" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
The undang (ruling chief) is elected for life by the nobles and vassals of the state from amongst the three highest noble families: the Waris Ulu Jelebu, Waris Sarin, and Waris Kemin.
The undang (ruling chief) is elected for life by the nobles and vassals of the state from amongst the male descendants of the first ruler, following the matrilineal line.
The undang (ruling chief) is elected for life by the nobles and vassals of the state from amongst the direct descendants of two noble families: the Waris Jakun and Waris Jawa. The position is, by informal agreement, alternated between the heads of the two houses.
The undang (ruling chief) is elected for life by the nobles and vassals of the state from amongst the direct descendants of two noble families: the Waris Hulu and Waris Hilir.
Tampin is a traditional principality within the Negeri Sembilan confederacy.
The Yang di-Pertuan Muda (prince) succeeds according to the laws of male primogeniture, but must also receive confirmation from the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
Gyanendra reigned as King of Nepal between 7 November 1950 and 8 January 1951, and again from 4 June 2001 until the monarchy was abolished in 2008.
^ Members of the Shah dynasty of Nepal are descended from the ParmarRajput dynasty of the state of Narsinghgarh in modern India.
Binod had been the reigning Raja of Bajhang when the constituent monarchies of Nepal were abolished in 2008.
^ Succession to the throne, whilst hereditary, is also subject to confirmation from the reigning King of Nepal.
Prakash previously reigned as Raja of Bhirkot from 13 November 2002 until 2008, when the constituent monarchies of Nepal were abolished.
A Tibetan kingdom known locally as Lo, the name "Mustang" is actually a Nepalese corruption of Manthang, the state's capital. Its ruler was styled Raja of Mustang by the Nepalese, and Lo rGyal-po (King of Lo) in Tibetan.
Jigme previously reigned as Raja of Mustang, or King of Lo, from 1964 until 2008, when the constituent monarchies of Nepal were abolished.
The surname "Bista" was adopted by the last reigning raja and his family.
Gopendra had been the reigning Raja of Salyan when the constituent monarchies of Nepal were abolished in 2008.
India
^ A clan of the Rajputs. Cite error: The named reference "Rajput" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
Her succession to the title was not recognised by the Indian government.
^ The royal family are members of both the Khichi and Chauhan clans of the Rajputs.
Previously reigned as mehtar from 14 October 1954, until the state was dissolved in 1969, and merged into the province of West Pakistan.
State was divided in 1841 between two branches of the Panwar dynasty, both using the title "Maharaja of Dewas". The last head of the junior branch died in 1965, and the position has remained vacant since then. The titular claimant in this entry is from the senior branch.
The factual accuracy of the source on this particular claim is questionable.
Previously reigned as dewan until the state's incorporation into India in 1950.
It included the estates of Daphlapur (or Dalfepur), from which the ruling family took its name.
^ Members of the Phulkian dynasty belong to the Sidhu clan of Jats.
Also commonly known as Benares, or Varanasi after its capital.
Previously reigned as amir from 19 July 1947, until the state was dissolved in 1955, and merged into the province of West Pakistan.
Known variously as Khordha, Khurda, or Utkala in antiquity, was annexed to British India in 1804. The zamindari (noble estates) of Puri were created in 1808 and granted to the former ruling family. These estates were dissolved, and all its lands acquired, in 1956 by the Indian government.
^ The kingdom of Mysore was historically ruled by the Hindu Wodeyar dynasty. In 1782, however, immediately prior to the arrival of the British, the Maharaja was overthrown by the Muslim usurper, Tipu Sultan, who renamed the state Khudadad and expanded his empire across the south. His reign lasted until 1799, when he was conquered by the British and the crown was restored to the Wodeyars under British supremacy.
The current royal family of Kolhapur are also members of the Panwar clan.
Was recognised as jagirdar of the small feudatory estate of Kutlehar, until it was dissolved under the Indian government in 1957.
The last titular Maharaja of Sirmur died in 1964 leaving no apparent heir. The current claimant to the throne was adopted into the family by the late maharaja’s widow. However, neither the adoption nor the claim to inheritance were recognised by the Indian government, as it failed to meet the necessary requirements dictated by family and religious customs. Because the adoption has not been legally recognised, his right to make a claim is therefore disputed.
The House of Windsor is a line of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which itself is a branch of the House of Wettin. "Windsor" is the official name adopted by the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.
Leka, only son of King Zog I, was Crown Prince of Albania from his birth on 5 April 1939 until the monarchy's end in 1944.
Simeon II reigned as Tsar of Bulgaria from 28 August 1943 until the monarchy was deposed in the Communist revolution of 1946. After returning to the country from exile in 1996, he later served as elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria between 24 July 2001 and 17 August 2005.
Charles Napoléon is the current head of the House of Bonaparte. His son, Jean Christophe, was posthumously appointed heir in the will of his grandfather, Louis Napoléon.
Michael I reigned as King of the Romanians between 20 July 1927 and 8 June 1930, and again from 6 September 1940 until the monarchy's abolition during the Communist revolution of 1947. A rival claim to the throne is maintained by the descendants of Carol Lambrino, Michael's elder half brother from his father's first marriage. Carol Lambrino's eldest son, Paul-Philippe, has maintained his claim to the throne since his father's death on 27 January 2006.
^ Full title: Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, used since 1721, although commonly designated Tsar. The Emperors of Russia were also Grand Dukes of Finland from 1809 until 1917, and Kings of Poland from 1815 until 1916.
The House of Obrenović, who were overthrown as the Royal Family of Serbia in 1903, hold that the rightful heir to the title King of Serbia is the descendant of Prince Mirko of Montenegro, who was the designated successor of Alexander I, the last of the Obrenović line of kings in Serbia.
^ "Royal House of Montenegro". Nikola II of Montenegro. Retrieved 2010-04-12. Cite error: The named reference "Karador" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
Bahrain
Jordan
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
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Abu Dhabi
Ajman
Dubai
Ras al-Khaimah
Umm al-Qaiwain
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
Japan
Malaysia
Thailand
Indonesia
Johor
Kedah
Kelantan
Negeri Sembilan
Pahang
Perak
Perlis
Selangor
Terengganu
Bangladesh
Maldives
Nepal
Mustang 
Lesotho
Morocco
Swaziland
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Tonga
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
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Belize
Canada
Grenada
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New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
Benin
Congo-Kinshasa
(France) Wallis and Futuna
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa
Uganda
Zambia