Lists of state leaders by age
This article contains various lists of state leaders organized by age, defined as heads of state and/or heads of government. Typically this list includes presidents, prime ministers or monarchs. There are approximately 360 current leaders.
10 oldest currently serving state leaders
People currently serving as head of state, representative of a Head of State, and/or head of government. There are approximately 360 current leaders.
Leaders for life
Rank | Name | Born | Age | Position | Assumed office |
1 | Elizabeth II | 21 April 1926 | 90 years, 230 days | Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other countries | 1952 |
2 | Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | 16 June 1929 | 87 years, 174 days | Emir of Kuwait | 2006 |
3 | Sir Elliott Belgrave | 16 March 1931 | 85 years, 266 days | Governor-General of Barbados | 2012 |
4 | Dame Marguerite Pindling | 26 June 1932 | 84 years, 164 days | Governor-General of the Bahamas | 2014 |
5 | Sir Colville Young | 20 November 1932 | 84 years, 17 days | Governor-General of Belize | 1993 |
6 | Akihito | 23 December 1933 | 82 years, 350 days | Emperor of Japan | 1989 |
7 | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | 31 December 1935 | 80 years, 342 days | King of Saudi Arabia | 2015 |
8 | Sir Frederick Ballantyne | 5 July 1936 | 80 years, 155 days | Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2002 |
9 | Pope Francis | 17 December 1936 | 79 years, 356 days | Sovereign of the Vatican City | 2013 |
10 | Harald V | 21 February 1937 | 79 years, 290 days | King of Norway | 1991 |
Term-bounded leaders
Rank | Name | Born | Age | Position | Assumed office |
1 | Robert Mugabe | 21 February 1924 | 92 years, 290 days | President of Zimbabwe | 1987 |
2 | Beji Caid Essebsi | 29 November 1926 | 90 years, 8 days | President of Tunisia | 2014 |
3 | Abdul Halim | 28 November 1927 | 89 years, 9 days | King of Malaysia | 2011 |
4 | Kim Yong-nam | 4 February 1928 | 88 years, 307 days | Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea | 1998 |
5 | Sir Anerood Jugnauth | 29 March 1930 | 86 years, 253 days | Prime Minister of Mauritius | 2014 |
6 | Raúl Castro | 3 June 1931 | 85 years, 187 days | President of Cuba | 2008 |
7 | Paul Biya | 13 February 1933 | 83 years, 298 days | President of Cameroon | 1982 |
8 | Michel Aoun | 30 September 1933 | 83 years, 68 days | President of Lebanon | 2016 |
9 | Artur Rasizade | 26 February 1935 | 81 years, 285 days | Prime Minister of Azerbaijan | 2003 |
10 | Mahmoud Abbas | 26 March 1935 | 81 years, 256 days | President of Palestine | 2005 |
10 oldest ever serving state leaders
Leaders still serving are highlighted in italicized bold.
Leaders for life
Rank | Name | Position | Last year in office (reason term ended) |
Age at end |
1 | Abdul Momin | Sultan of Brunei | 1885 (death) | 99 years, 5 months (?)[1] |
2 | Enrico Dandolo | Doge of Venice | 1205 (death) | 97 years, 4 months (?)[2] |
3 | Giovanni Paolo Lascaris | Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller | 1657 (death) | 97 years, 47 days |
4 | Prem Tinsulanonda | Regent of Thailand | 2016 (term ended) | 96 years, 97 days |
5 | Nicolò da Ponte | Doge of Venice | 1585 (death) | 94 years, 196 days |
6 | Malietoa Tanumafili II | Malietoa of Samoa | 2007 (death) | 94 years, 127 days |
7 | Leo XIII | Pope of the Holy See | 1903 (death) | 93 years, 140 days |
8 | Gustaf V | King of Sweden | 1950 (death) | 92 years, 135 days |
9 | Manuel Pinto de Fonseca | Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller | 1773 (death) | 91 years, 244 days |
10 | Sir Cuthbert Sebastian | Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2013 (retirement) | 91 years, 72 days |
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria (1821-1912) died in office at 91 years 276 days of age.
Term-bonded leaders
Rank | Name | Position | Last year in office (reason term ended) |
Age at end |
1 | Hastings Banda | President of Malawi | 1994 (lost election) | 96 years, 10 days |
2 | Robert Mugabe | President of Zimbabwe | Incumbent | 92 years, 290 days |
3 | Tôn Đức Thắng | President of Vietnam | 1980 (death) | 91 years, 223 days |
4 | Shimon Peres | President of Israel | 2014 (term ended) | 90 years, 356 days |
5 | Eamon De Valera | President of Ireland | 1973 (term ended) | 90 years, 253 days |
6 | Beji Caid Essebsi | President of Tunisia | Incumbent | 90 years, 8 days |
7 | Joaquin Balaguer | President of the Dominican Republic | 1996 (term ended) | 89 years, 350 days |
8 | Giorgio Napolitano | President of Italy | 2015 (resignation) | 89 years, 199 days |
9 | Abdul Halim of Kedah | King of Malaysia | Incumbent | 89 years, 9 days |
10 | Luis Alberto Sánchez | Prime Minister of Peru | 1989 (resignation) | 88 years, 353 days |
Longest lived state leaders
The following lists are the top ten all-time state leaders and the top ten living. For Top 100 lists see List of longest-living state leaders and List of the oldest living state leaders.
Top ten since 1800
Rank | Name | Position | Birth | Death | Age |
1 | Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum | Prime Minister of Cambodia (1962) | 1905 | 2009 | 103 years, 135 days |
2 | Celâl Bayar | Prime Minister of Turkey (1937–1939) President (1950–1960) | 1883 | 1986 | 103 years, 98 days |
3 | Antoine Pinay | Prime Minister of France (1952–1953) | 1891 | 1994 | 102 years, 348 days |
4 | Kazi Lhendup Dorjee | Chief Minister of Sikkim (1974–1975) | 1904 | 2007 | 102 years, 290 days |
5 | Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni | Prime Minister of Japan (1945) | 1887 | 1990 | 102 years, 48 days |
6 | Ek Yi Oun | Prime Minister of Cambodia (1958) | 1910 | 2013 | 102 years, 1 day to 103 years, 364 days |
7 | Willem Drees | Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) | 1886 | 1988 | 101 years, 314 days |
8 | Zhang Qun | Premier of the Republic of China (1947–1948) | 1889 | 1990 | 101 years, 219 days |
9 | Piet de Jong | Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1967–1971) | 1915 | 2016 | 101 years, 115 days |
10 | Bernardino González Ruíz | President of Panama (1963) | 1911 | 2012 | 101 years, 64 days |
Top ten living
Rank | Name | Position | Birth | Age |
1 | Đỗ Mười | Prime Minister of Vietnam (1988–1991), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1991–1997) | 2 February 1917 | 99 years, 309 days |
2 | Babiker Awadalla | Prime Minister of Sudan (1969) | 2 March 1917 | 99 years, 280 days |
3 | Yasuhiro Nakasone | Prime Minister of Japan (1982–1987) | 27 May 1918 | 98 years, 194 days |
4 | Konstantinos Mitsotakis | Prime Minister of Greece (1990–1993) | 18 October 1918 | 98 years, 50 days |
5 | Hyun Soong-jong | Prime Minister of South Korea (1992–1993) | 26 January 1919 | 97 years, 316 days |
6 | Mohammed Karim Lamrani | Prime Minister of Morocco (1971–1972, 1983–1986, 1992–1994) | 1 May 1919 | 97 years, 220 days |
7 | Hau Pei-tsun | Premier of the Republic of China (1990–1993) | 13 July 1919 | 97 years, 147 days |
8 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Prime Minister of Peru (2000–2003) | 19 January 1920 | 96 years, 323 days |
9 | Josip Manolić | Prime Minister of Croatia (1990–1991) | 22 March 1920 | 96 years, 260 days |
10 | Liam Cosgrave | Taoiseach of Ireland (1973–1977) | 13 April 1920 | 96 years, 238 days |
10 youngest serving state leaders
- Kim Jong-un (Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011), born 8 January 1984
- Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Emir of Qatar since 2013), born 3 June 1980
- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (King of Bhutan since 2006), born 21 February 1980
- Emil Dimitriev (Interim Prime Minister of Macedonia since 2016), born 19 March 1979
- Saleh Ali al-Sammad (President of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen since 2016), born 1 January 1979
- Jüri Ratas (Prime Minister of Estonia since 2016), born 2 July 1978
- Volodymyr Groysman (Prime Minister of Ukraine since 2016), born 20 January 1978
- Charles Michel (Prime Minister of Belgium since 2014), born 21 December 1975
- Youssef Chahed (Head of Government of Tunisia since 2016), born 18 September 1975
- Matteo Renzi (Prime Minister of Italy since 2014), born 11 January 1975
10 youngest state leaders (since 1945)
Age at the time they took office ordered youngest first. For a longer list, see List of youngest state leaders in modern times.
- Fuad II, King of Egypt, 6 months
- Gyanendra, King of Nepal, 3
- Faisal II, King of Iraq, 4
- Hussein, King of Jordan, 16
- Jigme Singye Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, 16
- Mswati III, King of Swaziland, 18 (began personal reign after a 3-year regency)
- Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, 18
- Ntare V, King of Burundi, 18
- Jean-Claude Duvalier, President of Haiti, 19
- Baudouin, King of Belgium, 20