Begum Khaleda Zia (born Khaleda Khanam Putul ; 15 August 1946 – 30 December 2025) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto. She was the wife of the former president of Bangladesh and army commander, Ziaur Rahman. She was the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1984 onwards.

Zia was born into a Bengali Muslim family in 1946 in Jalpaiguri. During the Liberation War of Bangladesh, after her husband joined the Mukti Bahini, she, along with her sons, was detained by the Pakistani Forces. After her husband's assassination in 1981, Zia became active in politics and became the leader of the BNP in 1984. She and her party played a leading role in the pro-democracy movement against Hussain Muhammad Ershad. They boycotted the 1986 and 1988 general elections, thus securing the reputation of an "uncompromising leader". She, along with Sheikh Hasina, helped lead the 1990 mass uprising.

Zia's first premiership followed the BNP victory in the 1991 general election, and saw the introduction of educational, economic, and administrative reforms. Her party also formed a short-lived government after the controversial February 1996 election, which was boycotted by the opposition. During her second premiership, which began with her party's victory in the 2001 election and lasted until 2006, Bangladesh witnessed growth in GDP, foreign investment and female literacy. Her government pushed a Look East foreign policy, strengthening the country's relations with East and Southeast Asian countries.

Her second premiership concluded during a a political crisis and resulting military takeover in 2007. The military-backed caretaker government charged Zia and her two sons with corruption. Her party lost the 2008 election to Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, and boycotted the 2014 election, creating another political crisis in 2015. In 2018, Zia was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison for corruption. However, she was acquitted of all charges in 2024, following the July Revolution, and was released upon a presidential order. After years of prolonged illness, Zia died on 30 December 2025 in a hospital and was given a state funeral.