Lists of state leaders by age

Since 1875, 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

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### Top ten currently serving

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Paul Biya, currently the oldest serving state leader

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  | Position  | Assumed office  | Born  | Age

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1 | Paul Biya | President of Cameroon | 1982[2] | (1933-02-13)13 February 1933 | 91 years, 264 days
2 | Mahmoud Abbas | President of the Palestinian National Authority,
President of the State of Palestine | 2005 | (1935-11-15)15 November 1935 | 88 years, 354 days
3 | Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud  | King of Saudi Arabia | 2015[3] | (1935-12-31)31 December 1935 | 88 years, 308 days
4 | Francis  | Pope of the Holy See,
Sovereign of the Vatican City State | 2013 | (1936-12-17)17 December 1936 | 87 years, 322 days
5 | Harald V | King of Norway[4] | 1991 | (1937-02-21)21 February 1937 | 87 years, 256 days
6 | Ali Khamenei | Supreme Leader of Iran | 1989[5] | (1939-04-19)19 April 1939 | 85 years, 198 days
7 | Muhammad Yunus | Acting Prime Minister of Bangladesh | 2024 | (1940-06-28)28 June 1940 | 84 years, 128 days
8 | Mishal I  | Emir of Kuwait | 2023 | (1940-09-27)27 September 1940 | 84 years, 37 days
9 | Michael D. Higgins | President of Ireland | 2011 | (1941-04-18)18 April 1941 | 83 years, 199 days
10 | Sergio Mattarella | President of Italy | 2015 | (1941-07-23)23 July 1941 | 83 years, 103 days

### Top ten of all time

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Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, the oldest serving state leader of all time whose age is fully verifiable. Rank  | Name  | Position  | Last year in office
(reason term ended)  | Age at end

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1 | Giovanni Paolo Lascaris | Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller | 1657 (death) | 97 years, 47 days
Ruler of Malta
2 | Elizabeth II | Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms[6] | 2022 (death) | 96 years, 140 days
3 | Prem Tinsulanonda | Regent of Thailand | 2016 (tenure ended) | 96 years, 97 days
4 | George Tupou I | King of Tonga | 1893 (death) | 95 years, 76 days
5 | Mahathir Mohamad | Prime Minister of Malaysia | 2020 (resigned) | 94 years, 235 days
6 | Nicolò da Ponte | Doge of Venice | 1585 (death) | 94 years, 196 days
7 | Malietoa Tanumafili II | O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa | 2007 (death) | 94 years, 127 days
8 | Robert Mugabe | President of Zimbabwe | 2017 (resigned) | 93 years, 273 days
9 | Leo XIII  | Pope of the Holy See[7] | 1903 (death) | 93 years, 140 days
10 | Beji Caid Essebsi | President of Tunisia | 2019 (death) | 92 years, 238 days

## Youngest serving state leaders

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### Top ten currently serving

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Ibrahim Traoré, the youngest serving state leader Rank  | Name  | Position  | Assumed office  | Born  | Age

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1 | Ibrahim Traoré | President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration of Burkina Faso | 2022 | 14 March 1988 | 36 years, 234 days
Interim President of Burkina Faso | 2022
2 | Daniel Noboa | President of Ecuador | 2023 | 30 November 1987 | 36 years, 339 days
3 | Milojko Spajić | Prime Minister of Montenegro | 2023 | 24 September 1987 | 37 years, 40 days
4 | Jakov Milatović | President of Montenegro | 2023 | 7 December 1986 | 37 years, 332 days
5 | Simon Harris | Taoiseach of Ireland | 2024 | 17 October 1986 | 38 years, 17 days
6 | Paetongtarn Shinawatra | Prime Minister of Thailand | 2024 | 21 August 1986 | 38 years, 74 days
7 | Gabriel Boric | President of Chile | 2022 | 11 February 1986 | 38 years, 266 days
8 | Mohammed bin Salman | Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | 2022 | 31 August 1985 | 39 years, 64 days
9 | Mahamat Déby | President of Chad[8] | 2024 | 4 April 1984 | 40 years, 214 days
10 | Dalibor Riccardi | Captain Regent of San Marino | 2024 | 4 September 1983 | 41 years, 60 days

### Top ten since 1875

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Currently living

Rank  | Name  | Position  | Assumed office  | Age when assuming office

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1 | Alfonso XIII | King of Spain | 1886 | 0 days[1]
2 | Sobhuza II | King of Swaziland | 1899 | 141 days
3 | Fuad II  | King of Egypt | 1952 | 192 days
4 | Puyi | Emperor of China | 1908 | 2 years, 299 days
5 | Gyanendra  | King of Nepal | 1950[9] | 3 years, 123 days
6 | Guangxu | Emperor of China | 1875 | 3 years, 195 days
7 | Faisal II  | King of Iraq | 1939 | 3 years, 337 days
8 | Michael I  | King of Romania | 1927 | 5 years, 268 days
9 | Simeon II  | Tsar of Bulgaria | 1943 | 6 years, 73 days
10 | Peter II  | King of Yugoslavia | 1934 | 11 years, 33 days

## Oldest state leaders

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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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Guillermo Rodríguez, the oldest-living state leader

Main article: List of oldest living state leaders

Rank  | Name  | Position  | In office  | Born  | Age

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1 | Guillermo Rodríguez | Acting President of Ecuador | 1972–1976 | (1923-11-04)4 November 1923 | 100 years, 365 days
2 | Khamtai Siphandone | Prime Minister of Laos | 1991–1998 | (1924-02-08)8 February 1924 | 100 years, 269 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 | (1924-03-03)3 March 1924 | 100 years, 245 days
4 | Jimmy Carter | President of the United States | 1977–1981 | (1924-10-01)1 October 1924 | 100 years, 33 days
5 | Mahathir Mohamad | Prime Minister of Malaysia | 1981–2003; 2018–2020 | (1925-07-10)10 July 1925 | 99 years, 116 days
6 | Mohammad Hasan Sharq | Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Afghanistan | 1988–1989 | (1925-07-17)17 July 1925 | 99 years, 109 days
7 | Abdoulaye Wade | President of Senegal | 2000–2012 | (1926-05-29)29 May 1926 | 98 years, 158 days
8 | Valdas Adamkus | President of Lithuania | 1998–2003; 2004–2009 | (1926-11-03)3 November 1926 | 98 years, 0 days
9 | Raif Dizdarević | President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia | 1988–1989 | (1926-12-09)9 December 1926 | 97 years, 330 days
10 | Thanin Kraivichien | Prime Minister of Thailand | 1976–1977 | (1927-04-05)5 April 1927 | 97 years, 212 days

### Top ten since 1800

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Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum, the longest-lived state leader Rank  | Name  | Position  | Born  | Died  | Age

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1 | Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum | Acting 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 | Prince 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 Nakasone | Prime Minister of Japan (1982–1987) | 1918 | 2019 | 101 years, 186 days

## See also

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* Lists of state leaders

## Notes

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1. ^ a b Became a monarch at birth as his father, Alfonso XII, had died the previous year.
2. ^ Previously served as Prime Minister of Cameroon from 1975–1982.
3. ^ Served concurrently as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015–2022.
4. ^ The Kingdom of Norway includes the dependent territory of Svalbard.
5. ^ Previously served as President of Iran from 1981–1989.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ The Vatican was in a territorial dispute with the Kingdom of Italy from 1870–1929.
8. ^ Previously President of the Transitional Military Council of Chad from 2021–2022, and Transitional President of Chad from 2022–2024.
9. ^ Gyanendra's first occupation of the throne was in 1950; he was deposed in the 1951 Nepalese revolution.

This article includes a politicians-related list of lists.