Lists of state leaders by age
This article needs to be updated. (January 2024) |
Since 1900, the youngest serving state leader has been 192-day-old Fuad II, King of Egypt (left), while the oldest has been 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (right).
This article contains various lists of state leaders organized by age, defined as heads of state and/or heads of government.
10 oldest serving state leaders[change]
People currently serving as head of state and/or head of government, a party leader of a one-party state, or a representative of a head of state.
| Rank | Name | Born | Age | Position | Assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Biya | 13 February 1933 | 92 years, 130 days | President of Cameroon | 1975 |
| 2 | Hussein | 14 November 1935 | 89 years, 220 days | King of Jordan | 1973 |
| 3 | Mahmoud Abbas | 15 November 1935 | 89 years, 72 days | President of Palestine | 2005 |
| 4 | Salman | 31 December 1935 | 89 years, 27 days | King of Saudi Arabia | 2015 |
| 5 | Francis | 17 December 1936 | 88 years, 41 days | Pope of the Holy See, Sovereign of the Vatican City State | 2013 |
| 6 | Harald V | 21 February 1937 | 87 years, 330 days | King of Norway | 1991 |
| 7 | Ali Khamenei | 19 April 1939 | 85 years, 300 days | Supreme Leader of Iran | 1989 |
| 8 | Mishal Bin Ahmed | 27 September 1939 | 85 years, 150 days | Prime Minister of Kuwait | 2022 |
| 9 | Muhammad Yunus | 20 June 1940 | 84 years, 200 days | Acting President of Bangladesh | 2024 |
| 10 | Mishal | Emir of Kuwait | 84 years, 150 days | Emir of Kuwait | 2023 |
10 oldest serving state leaders of all time[change]
| Rank | Name | Position | Last year in office (reason term ended) |
Age at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ibrahim Jaafari | Prime Minister of Iraq | 1988 (Death) | 99 years, 68 days |
| 2 | Mahathir Mohamad | Prime Minister of Malaysia | 2023 (Resigned) | 98 years, 132 days |
| 3 | Giovanni Paolo Lascaris | Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller | 1657 (Death) | 97 years, 47 days |
| 4-5 | Enrico Dandolo | Doge of Venice | 1205 (Death) | 97-98 years |
| 6 | Abdul Momin | Sultan of Brunei | 1885 (Death) | 97 years, 7 days |
| 7 | Mohammed Bin Rashid | President of the United Arab Emirates | 2021 (Death) | 96 years, 305 days |
| 8 | Elizabeth II | Queen of the United Kingdom | 2022 (Death) | 96 years, 140 days |
| 9 | Hastings Banda | President of Malawi | 1994 (Term ended) | 96 years, 98 days |
| 10 | Prem Tinsulanda | Regent of Thailand | 2016 (Term ended) | 96 years, 97 days |
Longest-lived state leaders[change]
The following lists are the top ten all-time state leaders and the top ten living.
Top ten since 1800[change]
| Rank | Name | Position | Birth | Death | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum | Prime Minister of Cambodia (1962) | 1905 | 2009 | 103 years, 143 days |
| 2 | Celâl Bayar | Prime Minister of Turkey (1937–1939) | 1883 | 1986 | 103 years, 98 days |
| President of Turkey (1950–1960) | |||||
| 3 | Antoine Pinay | Prime Minister of France (1952–1953) | 1891 | 1994 | 102 years, 348 days |
| 4 | André Prunet-Foch | French Viguier in Andorra (1977–1980) | 1914 | 2017 | 102 years, 211 days |
| 5 | Naruhiko Higashikuni | Prime Minister of Japan (1945) | 1887 | 1990 | 102 years, 48 days |
| 6 | Babiker Awadalla | Prime Minister of Sudan (1969) | 1917 | 2019 | 101 years, 321 days |
| 7 | Willem Drees | Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) | 1886 | 1988 | 101 years, 314 days |
| 8 | Đỗ Mười | Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam (1988–1991) | 1917 | 2018 | 101 years, 241 days |
| General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1991–1997) | |||||
| 9 | Zhang Qun | Premier of the Republic of China (1947–1948) | 1889 | 1990 | 101 years, 219 days |
| 10 | Yasuhiro Nakasome | Prime Minister of Japan (1982–1987) | 1919 | 2020 | 101 years, 186 days |
Top ten living[change]
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| Rank | Name | Position | Birth | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guillermo Rodríguez | Acting President of Ecuador (1972-1976) | 4 November 1923 | 101 years, 231 days |
| 2 | Khamtai Siphandone | Prime Minister of Laos (1991–1998) | 8 February 1924 | 101 years, 135 days |
| Chairman of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (1992–2006) | ||||
| President of Laos (1998–2006) | ||||
| 3 | Tomiichi Murayama | Prime Minister of Japan (1994–1996) | 3 March 1924 | 101 years, 112 days |
| 4 | Mahathir Mohamad | Prime Minister of Malaysia (1981–2003, 2018–2020) | 10 July 1925 | 99 years, 348 days |
| 5 | Mohammad Hasan Sharq | Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1989–1991) | 17 July 1925 | 99 years, 341 days |
| 6 | Abdoulaye Wade | President of Senegal (2000–2012) | 29 May 1926 | 99 years, 25 days |
| 7 | Valdas Adamkus | President of Lithuania (1998–2003; 2004–2009) | 3 November 1926 | 98 years, 232 days |
| 8 | Raif Dizdarević | President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1988–1989) | 9 December 1926 | 98 years, 196 days |
| 9 | Thanin Kraivichien | Prime Minister of Thailand (1976–1977) | 5 April 1927 | 98 years, 79 days |
| 10 | Kim Yong-nam | President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea (1998–2019) | 4 February 1928 | 97 years, 139 days |
20 youngest serving state leaders[change]
| Rank | Name | Position | Birth | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristrún Frostadóttir | Prime Minister of Iceland (since 2024) | 12 May, 1988 | 37 years, 42 days |
| 2 | Ibrahim Traore | President of Burkina Faso (since 2022) | 14 March 1988 | 37 years, 101 days |
| 3 | Daniel Noboa | President of Ecuador (since 2023) | 30 November 1987 | 37 years, 205 days |
| 4 | Milokjo Spajic | Prime Minister of Montenegro (since 2023) | 24 September 1987 | 37 years, 272 days |
| 5 | Jakov Milatović | President of Montenegro (since 2023) | 7 December 1986 | 38 years, 198 days |
| 6 | Paetongtarn Shinawatra | Prime Minister of Thailand (since 2024) | 21 August 1986 | 38 years, 306 days |
| 7 | Gabriel Boric | President of Chile (since 2022) | 11 February 1986 | 39 years, 132 days |
| 8 | Mohammed bin Salman | Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia (since 2022) | 31 August 1985 | 39 years, 296 days |
| 9 | Mahamat Déby | Chairman of the Transitional Military Council of Chad (since 2021) | 1 January 1984 | 41 years, 173 days |
| 9-10 | Mohamed al-Bashir | Transitional Prime Minister of Syria (since 2024) | 1984 | 40 years, 174 days to 41 years, 173 days |
10 youngest state leaders (since 1942)[change]
Leaders still serving are highlighted in italicized bold.
| Rank | Name | Position | Age (when they took office) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fuad II | King of Egypt | 192 days |
| 2 | Gyanendra | King of Nepal | 3 years, 123 days |
| 3 | Faisal II | King of Iraq | 3 years, 337 days |
| 4 | Simeon II | Tsar of Bulgaria | 6 years, 73 days |
| 5 | Hussein | King of Jordan | 16 years, 271 days |
| 6 | Jigme Singye Wangchuck | King of Bhutan | 16 years, 256 days |
| 7 | Mswati III [1] | King of Eswatini [2] | 18 years, 6 days |
| 8 | Bhumibol Adulyadej | King of Thailand | 18 years, 186 days |
| 9 | Ntare V | King of Burundi | 18 years, 218 days |
| 10 | Jean-Claude Duvalier | President of Haiti | 19 years, 293 days |