List of dignitaries at the memorial service of Nelson Mandela
This is a list of dignitaries at the state memorial service of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa. Mr Mandela died on 5 December 2013. Many heads of state and government attended the state memorial service on Tuesday, 10 December 2013 at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. The memorial service was one of the largest gatherings of world leaders. It was also the largest funeral in the history of South Africa, and the African continent itself.
Two UN Secretary Generals, both presidents of EU, two French presidents, four United States Presidents and four UK Prime Ministers attended the funeral service. In total, more than 500 VIP dignitaries from 19 supranational organizations and approximately 190 countries had arrived for this event. Some of the dignitaries later attend the Burial ceremony on 15 December 2013 at Mandela's hometown, Qunu.
This memorial event is the largest in the world in terms of foreign leaders, surpassing the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
Dignitaries
Heads of state and government
| Country | Title | Dignitary |
| President | Jacob Zuma | |
| President | Hamid Karzai | |
| Prime Minister | Antoni Marti | |
| Prime Minister | Baldwin Spencer | |
| Prime Minister | Sali Berisha | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott | |
| Chancellor | Werner Faymann | |
| Prime Minister | Perry Christie | |
| President | Abdul Hamid | |
| King | Philippe | |
| Prime Minister | Elio Di Rupo | |
| Prime Minister | Dean Barrow | |
| President | Yayi Boni | |
| President | Ian Khama | |
| President | Dilma Rousseff | |
| President | Pierre Nkurunziza | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper | |
| President | Idriss Déby | |
| President | Sebastian Pinera | |
| President | Ikililou Dhoinine | |
| President | Joseph Kabila | |
| President | Denis Sassou Nguesso | |
| President | Ivo Josipović | |
| President | Raúl Castro | |
| President | Milos Zeman | |
| Prime Minister | Helle Thorning-Schmidt | |
| President | Ismaïl Omar Guelleh | |
| President | Eliud Williams | |
| President | Danilo Medina | |
| Prime Minister | Xanana Gusmão | |
| Prime Minister | Hazem Al Beblawi | |
| President | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | |
| Prime Minister | Hailemariam Desalegn | |
| President | Sauli Niinistö | |
| / | President/Co-Prince | François Hollande |
| President | Ali Bongo Ondimba | |
| President | Yahya Jammeh | |
| President | Joachim Gauck | |
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel | |
| President | John Dramani Mahama | |
| Prime Minister | Antonis Samaras | |
| Prime Minister | Keith Mitchell | |
| President | Alpha Condé | |
| President | Donald Ramotar | |
| President | Michel Martelly | |
| Prime Minister | Laurent Lamothe | |
| Prime Minister | Angelo Sodano | |
| Prime Minister | Viktor Orbán | |
| President | Olafur Ragnar Grimsson | |
| President | Pranab Mukherjee | |
| President | Hassan Rouhani | |
| President | Jalal Talabani | |
| President | Michael D. Higgins | |
| Prime Minister | Enrico Letta | |
| President | Alassane Ouattara | |
| Prime Minister | Portia Simpson-Miller | |
| Prime Minister | Abdullah Ensour | |
| President | Uhuru Kenyatta | |
| President | Andris Berzins | |
| Prime Minister | Najib Mikati | |
| Prime Minister | Tom Thabane | |
| King | King Letsie III | |
| President | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | |
| Prime Minister | Adrian Hasler | |
| Grand Duke | Henri | |
| President | Andry Rajoelina | |
| President | Joyce Banda | |
| President | Ibrahim Boubacar Keita | |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Muscat | |
| President | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz | |
| Prime Minister | Navin Ramgoolam | |
| President | Enrique Peña Nieto | |
| President | Filip Vujanovic | |
| President | Armando Guebuza | |
| President | Hifikepunye Pohamba | |
| King | Willem-Alexander | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Rutte | |
| Prime Minister | John Key | |
| President | Mahamadou Issoufou | |
| President | Goodluck Jonathan | |
| Prime Minister | Erna Solberg | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain | |
| President | Mahmoud Abbas | |
| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk | |
| President | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | |
| Prime Minister | Victor Ponta | |
| President | Paul Kagame | |
| President | Mohammed Abdelaziz | |
| Prime Minister | Denzil Douglas | |
| Prime Minister | Kenny Anthony | |
| Prime Minister | Ralph Gonsalves | |
| President | Arnest Koroma | |
| President | Macky Sall | |
| President | Tomislav Nikolić | |
| President | James Michel | |
| President | Ivan Gasparovic | |
| President | Borut Pahor | |
| President | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud | |
| Prime Minister | Jung Hong-won | |
| President | Salva Kiir Mayardit | |
| Prime Minister | Mariano Rajoy | |
| President | Mahinda Rajapaksa | |
| President | Omar al-Bashir | |
| President | Dési Bouterse | |
| Prime Minister | Sibusiso Dlamini | |
| Prime Minister | Fredrik Reinfeldt | |
| President | Ueli Maurer | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad | |
| President | Jakaya Kikwete | |
| President | Faure Gnassingbe | |
| Prime Minister | Kamla Persad-Bissessar | |
| President | Moncef Marzouki | |
| President | Yoweri Museveni | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron | |
| President | Barack Obama | |
| President | Jose Mujica | |
| President | Nicolás Maduro | |
| Prime Minister | Ham Lini | |
| President | Michael Sata | |
| President | Robert Mugabe |
Other royalty
Government representatives
International organisations
Former heads of state
Other guests
This section is a partial list of notable guests who attended the memorial service.- Bono, Irish U2 vocalist and activist
- Richard Branson, British businessman, founder of Virgin Group
- Laura Bush, Former First Lady, spouse of former USA President George W. Bush
- Naomi Campbell, British model
- Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former USA President Bill Clinton
- Hillary Clinton, former American Secretary of State.
- Peter Gabriel, British singer
- Bill Gates, American businessman, founder and president of Microsoft
- Henry Kissinger, former American Secretary of State.
- Annie Lennox, British singer-songwriter
- Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player
- Charlize Theron, South African-American actress
- Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop
- Oprah Winfrey, American television personality and actress
Non-attendance
- : Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who frequently attend funerals of world leaders during his term of office, did not attend. Germany's former leaders did not usually attend world leaders's funeral.
- : Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to attend the service but had to cancel his visit due to the visit of his Russian counterpart in Tehran.
- : Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not attend the memorial service citing financial and security reasons.
- : The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to not send a delegation because of the time constraint. Instead, Foreign Minister David Lin personally visited the Liaison Office of South Africa to convey condolences over the death of Mandela. In addition, the Representative of the ROC to South Africa visited the Union Buildings in Pretoria to view the remains of Mandela and pay respects on behalf of the ROC government.
- : Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra also was expected to attend but declined due to ongoing protests against her government.
- : The 14th Dalai Lama was expected to attend the service but was denied a visa by the South African government.
- : Pope Francis was sent an invitation to attend either the memorial or state funeral.. But he did not attend any of them because it was against the traditions.
- : President Trương Tấn Sang did not attend the service due to time constraint. The country was represented by Mr Đào Việt Trung, Chairman of the Presidential Office.