In 2013, four in five world leaders were using Twitter, according to a survey by the Digital Policy Council.
DPC said annual growth in adoption among world leaders was continuous at 8%, but was significantly slower than the upsurge of 78% between 2011 and 2012.
President Obama of the United States remained the most followed world leader, gaining 16 million followers in just one year to reach 40.5 million, “due to the president's popularity and comfort with social media.”
The most dramatic debut was the rocketing ascent of Indonesian leader President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who joined Twitter last year and quickly gained 4.2 million followers to land at No. 2.
Venezuela was another big mover, though downward, slumping from No. 2 to No. 13. The passing of the popular Hugo Chávez triggered the drop, although Chávez's successor President Nicolas Maduro was immediately accepted to rank among the Top 15.
The greatest upward movement among the top 10 was that of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai. He jumped from No. 10 in 2012 to No. 7 in 2013. His followers increased by 1 million to 2.4 million.
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina moved up one spot to No. 6. Her preference to communicate with the public directly via social media rather than traditional press conferences is indicative of how leaders will leverage Twitter in the future, the DPC said.
Political leaders in China, the world's most populous country, remain absent on social media. Twitter has been blocked since 2009, and while China does have its own micro-blogging platform, called Sina Weibo, it is strictly regulated by government censors.