List of Ghanaian heads of state by age

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This is a list of heads of state of Ghana by age.

Overview

The youngest person to become head of state was Jerry Rawlings, who at the age of 31, assumed office following a coup d'état in 1979. [1] The youngest civilian head of state to assume the presidency was Hilla Limann, who was inaugurated at the age of 44. The oldest person to assume the presidency is Nana Akufo-Addo who was inaugurated at age 72. [2] [3]

Contents

At age 34, Akwasi Afrifa was the youngest head of state at the end of his tenure. Fred Akuffo's lifespan of 42 years was the shortest of any head of state. [4] [5] The oldest head of state at the end of his tenure is also Nana Akufo-Addo at 80.

Fred Akuffo's retirement of just 22 days is the shortest in Ghana's history while Joseph Arthur Ankrah's retirement of 23 years is the longest in Ghana's history. At age 86, John Kufuor is the oldest of the three living heads of state, he is also the nation's longest-lived head of state. Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo are the only heads of state to have lived into their 80s. The youngest living head of state is John Mahama, age 66.

List of heads of state by age at assuming office

This is a list of heads of state of Ghana by age at assuming office from the youngest to the oldest.

NameDate of birthDate of deathDate and age at assuming office
Jerry Rawlings 22 June 194712 November 20204 June 1979(1979-06-04) (aged 31)
Akwasi Afrifa 24 April 193626 June 19792 April 1969(1969-04-02) (aged 32)
Jerry Rawlings 22 June 194712 November 202031 December 1981(1981-12-31) (aged 34)
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 23 April 193116 June 197913 January 1972(1972-01-13) (aged 40)
Fred Akuffo 21 March 193726 June 19795 July 1978(1978-07-05) (aged 41)
Hilla Limann 12 December 193423 January 199824 September 1979(1979-09-24) (aged 44)
Joseph Arthur Ankrah 18 August 191525 November 199224 February 1966(1966-02-24) (aged 50)
Kwame Nkrumah 21 September 190927 April 19721 July 1960(1960-07-01) (aged 50)
John Mahama 29 November 1958(living)24 July 2012(2012-07-24) (aged 53)
John Kufuor 8 December 1938(living)7 January 2001(2001-01-07) (aged 62)
Edward Akufo-Addo 26 June 190617 July 197931 August 1970(1970-08-31) (aged 64)
John Atta Mills 21 July 194424 July 20127 January 2009(2009-01-07) (aged 64)
John Mahama 29 November 1958(living)7 January 2025(2025-01-07) (aged 66)
Nana Akufo-Addo 29 March 1944(living)7 January 2017(2017-01-07) (aged 72)

List of heads of state by longevity

This table shows heads of state by their longevity (living heads of state in gold).

Rank
Head of state
Date of birth
Date of death
Longevity
(Years, Days)		Longevity
(Days)
1 John Kufuor 8 December 1938Living86 years, 130 days31,542 days
2 Nana Akufo-Addo 29 March 1944Living81 years, 19 days29,604 days
3 Joseph Arthur Ankrah 18 August 191525 November 199277 years, 99 days28,224 days
4 Jerry Rawlings 22 June 194712 November 202073 years, 143 days26,807 days
5 Edward Akufo-Addo 26 June 190617 July 197973 years, 21 days26,684 days
6 John Atta Mills 21 July 194424 July 201268 years, 3 days24,840 days
7 John Mahama 29 November 1958Living66 years, 139 days24,246 days
8 Hilla Limann 12 December 193423 January 199863 years, 42 days23,053 days
9 Kwame Nkrumah 21 September 190927 April 197262 years, 219 days22,864 days
10 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 23 April 193116 June 197948 years, 54 days17,586 days
11 Akwasi Afrifa 24 April 193626 June 197943 years, 63 days15,768 days
12 Fred Akuffo 21 March 193726 June 197942 years, 97 days15,437 days
List of heads of state of Ghana 12
Living3
Deceased9

Ghanaian heads of state's ages

This table charts the age of each head of state of Ghana at the time of assuming office, upon leaving office, and at the time of death. Where the head of state is still living, their lifespan and post head of state timespan are calculated up to 17 April 2025.

#
Head of state
Date of birth
Date of
assuming office		Age at
assuming office
End of
term		Age at
end of
term		Length of
retirement
Date of death
Lifespan
1 Kwame Nkrumah 21 September 19091 July 196050 years, 284 days24 February 196656 years, 156 days6 years, 63 days27 April 197222,864 days (62 years, 219 days)
2 Joseph Arthur Ankrah 18 August 191524 February 196650 years, 190 days2 April 196953 years, 227 days23 years, 237 days25 November 199228,224 days (77 years, 99 days)
3 Akwasi Afrifa 24 April 19362 April 196932 years, 343 days7 August 197034 years, 105 days8 years, 323 days26 June 197915,768 days (43 years, 63 days)
4 Edward Akufo-Addo 26 June 190631 August 197064 years, 66 days13 January 197265 years, 201 days7 years, 185 days17 July 197926,684 days (73 years, 21 days)
5 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 23 April 193113 January 197240 years, 265 days5 July 197847 years, 73 days346 days16 June 197917,586 days (48 years, 54 days)
6 Fred Akuffo 21 March 19375 July 197841 years, 106 days4 June 197942 years, 75 days22 days26 June 197915,437 days (42 years, 97 days)
7 Jerry Rawlings 22 June 19474 June 197931 years, 347 days24 September 197932 years, 94 days2 years, 98 days [a] 12 November 202026,807 days (73 years, 143 days)
8 Hilla Limann 12 December 193424 September 197944 years, 286 days31 December 198147 years, 19 days16 years, 23 days23 January 199823,053 days (63 years, 42 days)
9 Jerry Rawlings 22 June 194731 December 198134 years, 192 days7 January 200153 years, 199 days19 years, 310 days [b] 12 November 202026,807 days (73 years, 143 days)
10 John Kufuor 8 December 19387 January 200162 years, 30 days7 January 200970 years, 30 days16 years, 100 days(living)31,542 days (86 years, 130 days)
11 John Atta Mills 21 July 19447 January 200964 years, 170 days24 July 201268 years, 3 days0 days [c] 24 July 201224,840 days (68 years, 3 days)
12 John Mahama 29 November 195824 July 201253 years, 238 days7 January 201758 years, 39 days8 years, 0 days [d] (living)24,246 days (66 years, 139 days)
13 Nana Akufo-Addo 29 March 19447 January 201772 years, 284 days7 January 202580 years, 284 days100 days(living)29,604 days (81 years, 19 days)
14 John Mahama 29 November 19587 January 202566 years, 39 days(incumbent)(incumbent)(incumbent)(living)24,246 days (66 years, 139 days)
#Head of stateDate of birthDate of
assuming office		Age at
assuming office		End of
term		Age at
end of
term		Length of
retirement		Date of deathLifespan

Notes

  1. ↑ Rawlings was head of state for two non-consecutive periods; this is his first post-head of state retirement, between the end of his first military tenure in 1979 and the beginning of his second in 1981.
  2. ↑ Rawlings was head of state for two non-consecutive periods; this is his post-presidential retirement, after his second period in office (1981–2001).
  3. ↑ Died in office
  4. ↑ Mahama was president for two non-consecutive periods; this is his first post-presidential retirement, between the end of his first full-term in 2017 and the beginning of his second in 2025.

References

  1. ↑ Schudel, Matt (12 November 2020). "Jerry Rawlings, coup leader who ruled Ghana for 20 years, dies at 73". The Washington Post . Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  2. ↑ "Nana Akufo-Addo sworn in as Ghana's new president". Al Jazeera. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "Ghana swears in Akufo-Addo as president". DW. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "2 Former Heads of State Are Executed in Ghana". The Washington Post. 26 June 1979. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "New Regime in Ghana Executes 2 Ex‐Rulers And 4 Senior Officers". The New York Times. 27 June 1979. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
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