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 -
- James Spriggs Payne, President of Liberia (1876-1878)
- Anthony William Gerdner, President of Liberia (1878-1883)
- Sokoto Caliphate
- Zanzibar - Barghash ibn Sa'id, Sultan of Zanzibar (1870-1888)
- Zulu - Cetshwayo kaMpande, King of the Zulu (1872-1884)
- Somalia - Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, (2004)
- Prime Minister: Ali Mohamed ghedi, (2004)
Asia
- Afghanistan - Shir Ali Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (1868-1879)
- Burma -
- Mindon Min, King of Burma (1853-1878)
- 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 -
- Japan - Monarch - Meiji Emperor, Emperor of Japan (1867-1912)
- Korea (Joseon Dynasty) - Gojong, King of Joseon (1864-1907, Emperor after 1897)
- Luang Phrabang - Unkham, King of Luang Phrabang (1868-1895)
- Nepal - Surendra Bikram Shah Deva, King of Nepal (1847-1881)
- Oman - Turki bin Said, Sultan of Oman (1871-1888)
- Siam - Chulalongkorn (Rama V), King of Siam (1868-1910)
- Vietnam - Tu Duc, Emperor of Vietnam (1847-1883)
Europe
- Andorra - Patrice Mac-Mahon, 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
- France -
- Germany -
- Greece - George I, King of the Hellenes (1863-1913)
- Holy See -
- Pope Pius IX, Bishop of Rome (1846-1878)
- Pope Leo XIII, Bishop of Rome (1878-1903)
- Italy
- 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 -
- 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 -
- Giuliano Belluzzi and Pietro Ugolini, Captains-General (1877-1878)
- Domenico Fattori and Marino Babboni, Captains-General (1878)
- Camillo Bonelli and Pietro Berti, Captains-General (1878-1879)
- Serbia - Milan II, Prince of Serbia (1868-1882/1889)
- Spain -
- Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden-Norway
- Switzerland - Karl Schenk, President of the Swiss Confederation (1878)
- United Kingdom -
Middle East and North Africa
North America and the Caribbean
- Canada
- Costa Rica - Tomás Guardia, Acting President of Costa Rica (1877-1880/1882)
- Dominican Republic -
- Buenaventura Báez, President of the Dominican Republic (1876-1878)
- Cesáreo Guillermo, President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
- Ignacio María González, President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
- People's Military Chiefs (1878)
- Jacinto del Rosario de Castro, acting President of the Dominican Republic (1878)
- 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 -
- Aquileo Parra, President of Colombia (1876-1878)
- Julián Trujillo Largacha, President of Colombia (1878-1880)
- Ecuador - Ignacio de Veintemilla, Supreme Chief of Ecuador (1876-1878/1883)
- Paraguay -
- Higinio Uriarte, President of Paraguay (1877-1878)
- 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 -
- Francisco Linares Alcántara, President of Venezuela (1877-1878)
- Jacinto Gutiérrez Martínez, Acting President of Venezuela (1878-1879)