Lists of countries with people on postage stamps

Although many smaller countries will put a hodge-podge of international personalities on their stamps in an effort to make sales to collectors, countries with a more respectable issuing policy will more often feature people who have played an important role in the country's own history and culture.

What follows is a list by country (i.e. by stamp-issuing authority) of identified people on stamps with the year in which that person was first featured on the stamp. The extensive use of catalogue numbers has been avoided because of potential copyright problems. The Scott Publishing Co. in particular has a reputation for diligently protecting its copyrighted numbering system. A more practical reason for shunning catalogue numbers is that each of the four major publishers (Scott, Gibbon, Michel and Yvert) has its own system that is incompatible with all the others. The italic note after the country name is merely to indicate the extent that its stamps have been reviewed.

The person featured on the most modern day stamps is Queen Elizabeth II

Abu Dhabi 1964-1972

This entity also issued many other stamps of dubious legitimacy; this gave it the reputation of being a "sand dune" country among philatelists.
Since 1971 Abu Dhabi has used the stamps of the United Arab Emirates.

Aden 1937-1965, all

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1953)
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1937)
George VI of the United Kingdom (1937)

also for Kathiri State of Seiyun

Hussein al-Kathiri (1954)
Ja'far bin Mansur al-Kathiri (1942)

also for Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla

Saleh bin Ghalib al-Qu'aiti (1942)

Also for Qu'aiti State in Hadhramaut

Awadh bin Saleh al-Qu'aiti (1963)

Before 1937 Aden used the stamps of India.
By 1965 all parts of Aden were using the stamps of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

Aitutaki 1903-1932

Between 1932 and 1972 Aitutaki used the stamps of the Cook Islands.

Angola 1870-1938+

See List of people on stamps of Angola

File:Evitaperon.jpg

Evita Peron on an Argentina stamp.

Angra 1892-1905, all

Charles I of Portugal (1892)

Used stamps of Azores from 1906.

Anjouan 1892-1912, all

No persons were featured on the stamps of Anjouan.
Anjouan used the stamps of Madagascar from 1912 until 1950,
and those of Comoro Islands since then.

Annam and Tonkin 1888-1892, all

No persons were featured on the stamps of Annam and Tonkin.
From 1892 Annam and Tonkin used the stamps of Indo-China.

Antigua 1862-1951+

Bahrain 1933-1951+

Bangkok 1882-1885, All

Victoria of the United Kingdom (1882)

File:UStamp.barbados.250pix.jpg

Horatio Nelson on a stamp of Barbados.
Larger version

Barbados 1852-1952+

See List of people on stamps of Barbados

Barbuda 1922, 1968-1969+

Used the stamps of the Leeward Islands between 1922 and 1968

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1968)
George V of the United Kingdom (1922)
Andrea Orcagna (1969)
Raffaello Santi (1969)

Basutoland 1933-1966,All

Winston Churchill (1966)
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1947)
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1937)
George V of the United Kingdom (1933)
George VI of the United Kingdom (1937)
Princess Margaret (1947)
Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (1959)

With independence subsequent issues were produced as Lesotho from 1966.

Batum 1919-1920, All

Peter I of Russia (1919)

Used stamps of Russia from July 1920.

Bechuanaland 1886-1897, All

Victoria of the United Kingdom (1887)

Used stamps of Cape of Good Hope from 1897.

Bechuanaland Protectorate 1888-1966, All

Winston Churchill (1966)
Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1904)
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1947)
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1937)
George V of the United Kingdom (1912)
George VI of the United Kingdom (1937)
Princess Margaret (1947)
William Shakespeare (1964)
Victoria of the United Kingdom (1888)

With independence subsequent issues were produced as Botswana from 1966

Belgian Congo 1886-1950+

Belgium (1849-)

See List of people on stamps of Belgium

Bermuda 1848-1956+

See List of people on stamps of Bermuda

Bolivia 1867-1930+

See List of people on stamps of Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina (1879-1918, 1993-)

See List of people on the stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil (1843-)

See List of people on stamps of Brazil

British Central Africa 1891-1907, all

Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1903)

From 1908 British Central Africa used the stamps of the Nyassaland Protectorate.

British Columbia and Vancouver Island (1860-1871)

See People on stamps of Canadian provinces

British East Africa 1890-1903, all

Victoria of the United Kingdom (1890)

From 1904 British East Africa used the stamps of the East Africa and Uganda Protectorates.

British Guiana 1850-1966, all

See List of people on stamps of British Guiana

From independence in 1966 stamps were issued as Guyana

British Honduras 1866-1973, all

See List of people on stamps of British Honduras

From 1973 British Honduras became known as Belize.

British Indian Ocean Territory 1968+

Brunei 1906-1970+

Ahmed Tajudin Akhazul Khair Wad-din (1949)
Winston Churchill (1966)
Hassanal Bolkiah (1967)
Omar Ali Saifuddin III (1952)
Pengiran Shahbandar (1969)

Bulgaria (1879-)

See List of people on stamps of Bulgaria

Burkina Faso 1920-1931, 1959-1965+

No identified person on stamps as Upper Volta colony, 1920-1931.
Used stamps of French West Africa between 1931 and 1959.
Name changed from Upper Volta in 1984.

Burma (1937+)

See People on the stamps of Myanmar

Burundi 1962+

Dag Hammarskjöld (1962)
Mwambutsa IV of Burundi (1962)

Bushire 1915, All

Ahmed of Persia (1915)
Darius I of Persia (1915)

Cambodia 1951-1974+

See List of people on stamps of Cambodia

Cameroon 1897-1974+

See List of people on stamps of Cameroon

Cameroons 1960, all

This territory (with an "s") refers refers to the southern part of the United Kingdom trust territory that eventually voted in a referendum to join the Republic of Cameroun. Its stamps were overprinted Nigerian stamps, and none featured identifiable individuals.