World leaders come from a variety of occupational backgrounds. It varies by region of the world, political system and political ideology.

Lawyer is the most common occupational background by far. This is particularly true of western Europe but it's true across the world. The legislature is core part of the government of most countries and leaders tend to be legislators first. And as leaders, they are expected to work with the national legislature to develop and change laws. As such, a legal background is seen as the standard route to political office in much of the world. 

Many leaders come from military backgrounds and are often seen wearing military uniforms. The military is the prime instrument of state power so it's unsurprising that military leaders are often national leaders. This is especially true of developing countries, particularly those in Africa. Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, is a retired General.

Certain national leaders have unconventional occupational backgrounds. A notable example of this is the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky who was a comedian. Celebrated sporting heroes often become national leaders too. A notable example of this is Imran Khan, Pakistan's World cup winning cricketer who became the country's President.

Many leaders come from Economics backgrounds reflecting the central importance of economic management in politics. This is especially the case in eastern Europe. The leader of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, was an economics lecturer. 

Business backgrounds are quite common too. The leader of the United States, Donald Trump, comes from a business background. He was primarily a real estate developer in Manhattan. 

Certain professional occupations which aren't directly linked to politics such as physicians and engineers are common among national leaders. Europe's largest economy, Germany, is led by Angela Merkel who comes from an engineering background. Perhaps this reflects the strong culture in engineering in the country. 

Ruling monarchies, which used to dominate the world, still exist including the oil rich country of Saudi Arabia and the neighboring gulf states.  

A leader's occupational background is often linked to their political ideology. Leaders from business backgrounds tend to be associated with small government pro-business political ideologies. A notable example is Donald Trump. His policies such as scaling back on regulations and tax cuts are seen as pro-business. On the other hand, Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro who espouses a socialist ideology used to be a bus driver, a working class occupation.