1. People’s Republic of China
Population: 1.38 billion
The President, General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China is Xi Jinping, also known as the “Paramount Leader”. The post of President is merely ceremonial; the powerful position in the country is considered the post of General Secretary of the sole political party in the communist state. As such, this post has widespread executive powers, and since Mr. Jinping’s ascension to power, has only accumulated greater hold over the country. A number of reasons, such as the fact that press freedom is heavily restricted, opponents of the one-party system are punished outright, make it infinitely clear that China carves its own spot on our list of the 10 biggest countries ruled by dictators.
