Lists of state leaders by age
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Since 1800, the youngest serving state leader has been 0-day-old Alfonso XIII, King of Spain[1] (left), while the oldest has been 96-year-old Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms (right).
This article contains various lists of state leaders organized by age, defined as heads of state and/or heads of government.
Oldest serving state leaders
[change | change source]Top ten currently serving
[change | change source]
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 | State | Position | Assumed office | Born | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Biya |  Cameroon |
President | 1982[2] | 13 February 1933 | 92 years, 205 days |
| 2 | Mahmoud Abbas |  Palestine |
2005[3] | 15 November 1935 | 89 years, 295 days | |
| 3 | Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud |  Saudi Arabia |
King | 2015[4] | 31 December 1935 | 89 years, 249 days |
| 4 | Harald V |  Norway |
King[5] | 1991 | 21 February 1937 | 88 years, 197 days |
| 5 | Ali Khamenei |  Iran |
Supreme Leader | 1989[6] | 19 April 1939 | 86 years, 140 days |
| 6 | Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové |  Togo |
President | 2025 | 7 May 1939 | 86 years, 122 days |
| 7 | Muhammad Yunus |  Bangladesh |
Chief Adviser | 2024 | 28 June 1940 | 85 years, 70 days |
| 8 | Mishal I |  Kuwait |
Emir | 2023 | 27 September 1940 | 84 years, 344 days |
| 9 | Michael D. Higgins |  Ireland |
President | 2011 | 18 April 1941 | 84 years, 141 days |
| 10 | Sergio Mattarella |  Italy |
President | 2015 | 23 July 1941 | 84 years, 45 days |
Top ten of all time
[change | change source]
Currently in office
Currently living
| Rank | Name | State | Position | Last year in office (reason term ended) |
Age at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giovanni Paolo Lascaris |  Malta |
1657 (death) | 97 years, 47 days | |
| 2 | Elizabeth II |  United Kingdom |
Queen and other Commonwealth realms[7] | 2022 (death) | 96 years, 140 days |
| 3 | Prem Tinsulanonda |  Thailand |
Regent | 2016 (tenure ended) | 96 years, 97 days |
| 4 | George Tupou I |  Tonga |
King | 1893 (death) | 95 years, 76 days |
| 5 | Mahathir Mohamad |  Malaysia |
Prime Minister | 2020 (resigned) | 94 years, 235 days |
| 6 | Nicolò da Ponte |  Venice |
Doge of Venice | 1585 (death) | 94 years, 196 days |
| 7 | Malietoa Tanumafili II |  Samoa |
O le Ao o le Malo | 2007 (death) | 94 years, 127 days |
| 8 | Robert Mugabe |  Zimbabwe |
President | 2017 (resigned) | 93 years, 279 days |
| 9 | Beji Caid Essebsi |  Tunisia |
President | 2019 (death) | 92 years, 238 days |
| 10 | Paul Biya | Cameroon |
President | Incumbent | 92 years, 205 days |
Youngest serving state leaders
[change | change source]Top ten currently serving
[change | change source]
| Rank | Name | State | Position | Assumed office | Born | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristrún Frostadóttir |  Iceland |
Prime Minister | 2024 | 12 May 1988 | 37 years, 117 days |
| 2 | Ibrahim Traoré |  Burkina Faso |
2022 | 14 March 1988 | 37 years, 176 days | |
| 3 | Daniel Noboa |  Ecuador |
President | 2023 | 30 November 1987 | 37 years, 280 days |
| 4 | Milojko Spajić |  Montenegro |
Prime Minister | 2023 | 24 September 1987 | 37 years, 347 days |
| 5 | Jakov Milatović | Montenegro |
President | 2023 | 7 December 1986 | 38 years, 273 days |
| 6 | Gabriel Boric |  Chile |
President | 2022 | 11 February 1986 | 39 years, 207 days |
| 7 | Yulia Svyrydenko |  Ukraine |
Prime Minister | 2025 | 25 December 1985 | 39 years, 255 days |
| 8 | Mohammed bin Salman | Saudi Arabia |
Prime Minister | 2022 | 31 August 1985 | 40 years, 6 days |
| 9 | Mahamat Déby |  Chad |
President[8] | 2024 | 4 April 1984 | 41 years, 155 days |
| 10 | Assimi Goïta |  Mali |
President[9] | 2025 | 9 November 1983 | 41 years, 301 days |
Top ten since 1800
[change | change source] Currently living
| Rank | Name | State | Position | Assumed office | Age when assuming office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfonso XIII |  Spain |
King | 1886 | 0 days[1] |
| 2 | Sobhuza II |  Swaziland |
King | 1899 | 141 days |
| 3 | Fuad II |  Egypt |
King | 1952 | 192 days |
| 4 | Puyi |  China |
Emperor | 1908 | 2 years, 299 days |
| 5 | Rajendra |  Nepal |
King | 1816 | 2 years, 353 days |
| 6 | Isabella II | Spain |
Queen | 1833 | 2 years, 354 days |
| 7 | Gyanendra |  Nepal |
King | 1950[10] | 3 years, 123 days |
| 8 | Guangxu | China |
Emperor | 1875 | 3 years, 195 days |
| 9 | Faisal II |  Iraq |
King | 1939 | 3 years, 337 days |
| 10 | Pedro II |  Brazil |
Emperor | 1831 | 5 years, 126 days |
Oldest state leaders
[change | change source]The following lists show the oldest people who have served office as state leader (not limited to their age while in office).
Top ten living
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| Rank | Name | State | Position | Born | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guillermo Rodríguez |  Ecuador |
Acting President (1972–1976) | 4 Nov 1923 | 101 years, 306 days |
| 2 | Tomiichi Murayama |  Japan |
Prime Minister (1994–1996) | 3 Mar 1924 | 101 years, 187 days |
| 3 | Mahathir Mohamad | Malaysia |
Prime Minister (1981–2003; 2018–2020) | 10 Jul 1925 | 100 years, 58 days |
| 4 | Mohammad Hasan Sharq |  Afghanistan |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1988–1989) | 17 Jul 1925 | 100 years, 51 days |
| 5 | Abdoulaye Wade |  Senegal |
President (2000–2012) | 29 May 1926 | 99 years, 100 days |
| 6 | Valdas Adamkus |  Lithuania |
President (1998–2003; 2004–2009) | 3 Nov 1926 | 98 years, 307 days |
| 7 | Raif Dizdarević |  Yugoslavia |
President of the Presidency (1988–1989) | 9 Dec 1926 | 98 years, 271 days |
| 8 | Kim Yong-nam |  North Korea |
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (1998–2019) | 4 Feb 1928 | 97 years, 214 days |
| 9 | Arthur Foulkes |  Bahamas |
Governor-General (2010–2014) | 11 May 1928 | 97 years, 118 days |
| 10 | Péter Boross |  Hungary |
Prime Minister (1993–1994) | 27 Aug 1928 | 97 years, 10 days |
Top ten since 1800
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Currently living
| Rank | Name | State | Position | Born | Died | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum |  Cambodia |
Acting Prime Minister (1962) | 1905 | 2009 | 103 years, 143 days |
| 2 | Celâl Bayar |  Turkey |
|
1883 | 1986 | 103 years, 98 days |
| 3 | Antoine Pinay |  France |
Prime Minister (1952–1953) | 1891 | 1994 | 102 years, 348 days |
| 4 | André Prunet-Foch |  Andorra |
French Viguier (1977–1980) | 1914 | 2017 | 102 years, 211 days |
| 5 | Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni | Japan |
Prime Minister (1945) | 1887 | 1990 | 102 years, 48 days |
| 6 | Babiker Awadalla |  Sudan |
Prime Minister (1969) | 1917 | 2019 | 101 years, 321 days |
| 7 | Willem Drees |  Netherlands |
Prime Minister (1948–1958) | 1886 | 1988 | 101 years, 314 days |
| 8 | Guillermo Rodríguez | Ecuador |
Acting President (1972–1976) | 1923 | Alive | 101 years, 306 days |
| 9 | Đỗ Mười |  Vietnam |
|
1917 | 2018 | 101 years, 241 days |
| 10 | Zhang Qun |  China |
Premier (1947–1948) | 1889 | 1990 | 101 years, 219 days |
Notes
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Became a monarch at birth as his father, Alfonso XII, had died the previous year.
- ↑ Previously served as Prime Minister from 1975–1982.
- ↑ Previously served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in 2003.
- ↑ Served concurrently as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015–2022.
- ↑ The Kingdom of Norway includes the dependent territory of Svalbard.
- ↑ Previously served as President from 1981–1989.
- ↑ In 1952, Princess Elizabeth acceded as the monarch of seven Commonwealth realms. At the time of her death, she reigned as Queen of 15 sovereign states including the United Kingdom. From 1957–1983, most of her British colonies attained independence, and some joined the other realms in different years; most states ceased to be a realm upon becoming republics.
- ↑ Previously President of the Transitional Military Council of Chad from 2021–2022, and Transitional President of Chad from 2022–2024.
- ↑ Previously Chairman of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People of Mali in 2020 and 2021, and Interim President of Mali from 2021–2025.
- ↑ Gyanendra's first occupation of the throne was in 1950; he was deposed in the 1951 Nepalese revolution.
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This article includes a politicians-related list of lists. |