List of prime ministers of Australia by age

Living as of 13:14, Thursday, October 28, 2021 ( UTC )

Prime Minister	Date of birth	Prime Minister
John Howard	(1939-07-26) 26 July 1939 (age 82)	1996–2007
Paul Keating	(1944-01-18) 18 January 1944 (age 77)	1991–1996
Malcolm Turnbull	(1954-10-24) 24 October 1954 (age 67)	2015–2018
Kevin Rudd	(1957-09-21) 21 September 1957 (age 64)	2007–2010, 2013
Tony Abbott	(1957-11-04) 4 November 1957 (age 63)	2013–2015
Julia Gillard	(1961-09-29) 29 September 1961 (age 60)	2010–2013
Scott Morrison	(1968-05-13) 13 May 1968 (age 53)	2018–

This is a list of prime ministers of Australia by age, including when they were born, what age they were when they were appointed prime minister, what age were they when they left the office and the age at which they died, or their current age as of 28 October 2021 if they are still alive. The table can be sorted by each different category.

The date of appointment as prime minister is the date on which they were sworn in by the Governor-General for their first term. The day on which they departed office is the final day of their final term. This is either the day a new prime minister was appointed or their date of death if they died whilst in office.

Overview

The median age of a prime minister on the first day of their first term is 52 years, and 353 days which falls between Joseph Cook and Billy Hughes. The youngest person to assume the office was Chris Watson (age 37 years, 18 days). The oldest person to assume office was John McEwen (age 67 years, 265 days).

The oldest living former prime minister is John Howard, born 26 July 1939 (age 82 years, 94 days). The youngest living former prime minister is Julia Gillard, born 29 September 1961, (age 60 years, 29 days). The youngest living prime minister is the incumbent Scott Morrison, born 13 May 1968, (age 53 years, 168 days).

The longest-lived prime minister was Gough Whitlam who died on 21 October 2014 at the age of 98 years, 102 days. Frank Forde was the second longest-lived prime minister, at the age of 92 years, 194 days. Whitlam surpassed Forde's lifespan on 21 January 2009. The oldest living prime minister, John Howard, will tie Whitlam if he lives to 5 November 2037. The shortest-lived prime minister was Harold Holt, at the age of 59 years, 134 days (See footnote below explaining his disappearance).

The prime minister with the longest retirement is Gough Whitlam. He left office on 11 November 1975, and died 38 years, and 344 days later on 21 October 2014. The prime minister with the shortest retirement is Ben Chifley, who died on 13 June 1951, 1 year and 176 days after leaving office on 19 December 1949.

Ages of prime ministers

#	Prime Minister	Born	Took office	Age	Left office	Age	Died	Length of retirement	Lifespan
1	Edmund Barton	18 January 1849	1 January 1901	51 years, 348 days	24 September 1903	54 years, 249 days	7 January 1920	16 years, 105 days	70 years, 354 days
2	Alfred Deakin	3 August 1856	24 September 1903	47 years, 52 days	29 April 1910	53 years, 269 days	7 October 1919	9 years, 161 days	63 years, 65 days
3	Chris Watson	9 April 1867	27 April 1904	37 years, 18 days	18 August 1904	37 years, 131 days	18 November 1941	37 years, 92 days	74 years, 223 days
4	George Reid	25 February 1845	18 August 1904	59 years, 175 days	5 July 1905	60 years, 130 days	12 September 1918	13 years, 69 days	73 years, 199 days
5	Andrew Fisher	29 August 1862	13 November 1908	46 years, 76 days	27 October 1915	53 years, 59 days	22 October 1928	12 years, 361 days	66 years, 54 days
6	Joseph Cook	7 December 1860	24 June 1913	52 years, 199 days	17 September 1914	53 years, 284 days	30 July 1947	32 years, 316 days	86 years, 235 days
7	Billy Hughes	25 September 1862	28 October 1915	53 years, 33 days	9 February 1923	60 years, 137 days	28 October 1952	29 years, 262 days	90 years, 33 days
8	Stanley Bruce	15 April 1883	9 February 1923	39 years, 300 days	22 October 1929	46 years, 190 days	25 August 1967	37 years, 307 days	84 years, 132 days
9	James Scullin	18 September 1876	22 October 1929	53 years, 34 days	6 January 1932	55 years, 110 days	28 January 1953	21 years, 22 days	76 years, 132 days
10	Joseph Lyons	15 September 1879	6 January 1932	52 years, 113 days	7 April 1939 [1]	59 years, 204 days	7 April 1939	N/A	59 years, 204 days
11	Earle Page	8 August 1880	7 April 1939	58 years, 242 days	26 April 1939	58 years, 261 days	20 December 1961	22 years, 238 days	81 years, 134 days
12	Robert Menzies	20 December 1894	26 April 1939	44 years, 127 days	26 January 1966	71 years, 37 days	15 May 1978	12 years, 109 days	83 years, 146 days
13	Arthur Fadden	13 April 1894	29 August 1941	47 years, 138 days	7 October 1941	47 years, 177 days	21 April 1973	31 years, 196 days	79 years, 8 days
14	John Curtin	8 January 1885	7 October 1941	56 years, 272 days	5 July 1945 [1]	60 years, 178 days	5 July 1945	N/A	60 years, 178 days
15	Frank Forde	18 July 1890	6 July 1945	54 years, 353 days	13 July 1945	54 years, 360 days	28 January 1983	37 years, 199 days	92 years, 194 days
16	Ben Chifley	22 September 1885	13 July 1945	59 years, 294 days	19 December 1949	64 years, 88 days	13 June 1951	1 year, 176 days	65 years, 264 days
17	Harold Holt	5 August 1908	26 January 1966	57 years, 174 days	17 December 1967 [2]	59 years, 134 days	17 December 1967 [2]	N/A	59 years, 134 days
18	John McEwen	29 March 1900	19 December 1967	67 years, 265 days	10 January 1968	67 years, 287 days	20 November 1980	12 years, 315 days	80 years, 236 days
19	John Gorton	9 September 1911	10 January 1968	56 years, 123 days	10 March 1971	59 years, 182 days	19 May 2002	31 years, 70 days	90 years, 252 days
20	William McMahon	23 February 1908	10 March 1971	63 years, 15 days	5 December 1972	64 years, 286 days	31 March 1988	15 years, 117 days	80 years, 37 days
21	Gough Whitlam	11 July 1916	5 December 1972	56 years, 147 days	11 November 1975	59 years, 123 days	21 October 2014	38 years, 344 days	98 years, 102 days
22	Malcolm Fraser	21 May 1930	11 November 1975	45 years, 174 days	11 March 1983	52 years, 294 days	20 March 2015	32 years, 9 days	84 years, 303 days
23	Bob Hawke	9 December 1929	11 March 1983	53 years, 92 days	20 December 1991	62 years, 11 days	16 May 2019	27 years, 147 days	89 years, 158 days
24	Paul Keating	18 January 1944	20 December 1991	47 years, 336 days	11 March 1996	52 years, 53 days		25 years, 231 days	77 years, 283 days
25	John Howard	26 July 1939	11 March 1996	56 years, 229 days	3 December 2007	68 years, 130 days		13 years, 329 days	82 years, 94 days
26	Kevin Rudd	21 September 1957	3 December 2007	50 years, 73 days	18 September 2013	55 years, 362 days		8 years, 40 days	64 years, 37 days
27	Julia Gillard	29 September 1961	24 June 2010	48 years, 268 days	27 June 2013	51 years, 271 days		8 years, 123 days	60 years, 29 days
28	Tony Abbott	4 November 1957	18 September 2013	55 years, 318 days	15 September 2015	57 years, 315 days		6 years, 43 days	63 years, 358 days
29	Malcolm Turnbull	24 October 1954	15 September 2015	60 years, 326 days	24 August 2018	63 years, 304 days		3 years, 65 days	67 years, 4 days
30	Scott Morrison	13 May 1968	24 August 2018	50 years, 103 days	Incumbent	Incumbent		Incumbent	53 years, 168 days

Timeline of living prime ministers

This is a chronological list of all who served as the prime minister of Australia and were still living, at different periods in history. There has been one time period each when there was either one, two, or three living prime ministers, beginning with the appointment of Edmund Barton in 1901 and ending with the appointment of George Reid in 1904.

There have been two time periods when 9 living current or former prime ministers co-existed. The earliest period was from the October 1941 appointment of John Curtin to the November 1941 death of Chris Watson. The most recent and the longest period was a two-year period beginning with the July 1945 appointment of Ben Chifley to the July 1947 death of Joseph Cook.

If one includes future prime ministers as well as past and current prime ministers, there has been only one time period when 21 different prime ministers co-existed. (see Statistics)

Color key:	Pre-UAP Conservatives	UAP / Liberal Party	Country Party	Labor Party

Number of prime ministers alive at each date in Australian history

Start	End	Start event	Interval	End event	Living PMs
1 January 1901	24 September 1903	Appointment of Edmund Barton	2 years, 266 days	Appointment of Alfred Deakin	1	Barton
24 September 1903	27 April 1904	Appointment of Alfred Deakin	216 days	Appointment of Chris Watson	2	Barton Deakin
27 April 1904	18 August 1904	Appointment of Chris Watson	113 days	Appointment of George Reid	3	Barton Deakin Watson
18 August 1904	13 November 1908	Appointment of George Reid	4 years, 87 days	Appointment of Andrew Fisher	4	Barton Deakin Watson Reid
13 November 1908	24 June 1913	Appointment of Andrew Fisher	4 years, 223 days	Appointment of Joseph Cook	5	Barton Deakin Watson Reid Fisher
24 June 1913	27 October 1915	Appointment of Joseph Cook	2 years, 125 days	Appointment of Billy Hughes	6	Barton Deakin Watson Reid Fisher Cook
27 October 1915	12 September 1918	Appointment of Billy Hughes	2 years, 320 days	Death of George Reid	7	Barton Deakin Watson Reid Fisher Cook Hughes
12 September 1918	7 October 1919	Death of George Reid	1 year, 25 days	Death of Alfred Deakin	6	Barton Deakin Watson Fisher Cook Hughes
7 October 1919	7 January 1920	Death of Alfred Deakin	92 days	Death of Edmund Barton	5	Barton Watson Fisher Cook Hughes
7 January 1920	9 February 1923	Death of Edmund Barton	3 years, 33 days	Appointment of Stanley Bruce	4	Watson Fisher Cook Hughes
9 February 1923	22 October 1928	Appointment of Stanley Bruce	5 years, 256 days	Death of Andrew Fisher	5	Watson Fisher Cook Hughes Bruce
22 October 1928	22 October 1929	Death of Andrew Fisher	1 year, 0 days	Appointment of James Scullin	4	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce
22 October 1929	6 January 1932	Appointment of James Scullin	2 years, 76 days	Appointment of Joseph Lyons	5	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin
6 January 1932	7 April 1939	Appointment of Joseph Lyons	7 years, 91 days	Death of Joseph Lyons	6	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Lyons
7 April 1939	26 April 1939	Appointment of Earle Page	19 days	Appointment of Robert Menzies	6	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page
26 April 1939	29 August 1941	Appointment of Robert Menzies	2 years, 125 days	Appointment of Arthur Fadden	7	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies
29 August 1941	7 October 1941	Appointment of Arthur Fadden	39 days	Appointment of John Curtin	8	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden
7 October 1941	18 November 1941	Appointment of John Curtin	42 days	Death of Chris Watson	9	Watson Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Curtin
18 November 1941	5 July 1945	Death of Chris Watson	3 years, 229 days	Death of John Curtin	8	Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Curtin
5 July 1945	13 July 1945	Appointment of Frank Forde	8 days	Appointment of Ben Chifley	8	Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Forde
13 July 1945	30 July 1947	Appointment of Ben Chifley	2 years, 17 days	Death of Joseph Cook	9	Cook Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Forde Chifley
30 July 1947	13 June 1951	Death of Joseph Cook	3 years, 318 days	Death of Ben Chifley	8	Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Forde Chifley
13 June 1951	28 October 1952	Death of Ben Chifley	1 year, 137 days	Death of Billy Hughes	7	Hughes Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Forde
28 October 1952	28 January 1953	Death of Billy Hughes	92 days	Death of James Scullin	6	Bruce Scullin Page Menzies Fadden Forde
28 January 1953	20 December 1961	Death of James Scullin	8 years, 326 days	Death of Sir Earle Page	5	Bruce Page Menzies Fadden Forde
20 December 1961	26 January 1966	Death of Earle Page	4 years, 37 days	Appointment of Harold Holt	4	Bruce Menzies Fadden Forde
26 January 1966	25 August 1967	Appointment of Harold Holt	1 year, 211 days	Death of Stanley Bruce	5	Bruce Menzies Fadden Forde Holt
25 August 1967	17 December 1967	Death of Stanley Bruce	114 days	Death of Harold Holt	4	Menzies Fadden Forde Holt
17 December 1967	10 January 1968	Appointment of John McEwen	24 days	Appointment of John Gorton	4	Menzies Fadden Forde McEwen
10 January 1968	10 March 1971	Appointment of John Gorton	3 years, 59 days	Appointment of William McMahon	5	Menzies Fadden Forde McEwen Gorton
10 March 1971	5 December 1972	Appointment of William McMahon	1 year, 270 days	Appointment of Gough Whitlam	6	Menzies Fadden Forde McEwen Gorton McMahon
5 December 1972	21 April 1973	Appointment of Gough Whitlam	137 days	Death of Arthur Fadden	7	Menzies Fadden Forde McEwen Gorton McMahon Whitlam
21 April 1973	11 November 1975	Death of Arthur Fadden	2 years, 204 days	Appointment of Malcolm Fraser	6	Menzies Forde McEwen Gorton McMahon Whitlam
11 November 1975	15 May 1978	Appointment of Malcolm Fraser	2 years, 185 days	Death of Robert Menzies	7	Menzies Forde McEwen Gorton McMahon Whitlam Fraser
15 May 1978	20 November 1980	Death of Robert Menzies	2 years, 189 days	Death of John McEwen	6	Forde McEwen Gorton McMahon Whitlam Fraser
20 November 1980	28 January 1983	Death of John McEwen	2 years, 69 days	Death of Frank Forde	5	Forde Gorton McMahon Whitlam Fraser
28 January 1983	11 March 1983	Death of Frank Forde	42 days	Appointment of Bob Hawke	4	Gorton McMahon Whitlam Fraser
11 March 1983	31 March 1988	Appointment of Bob Hawke	5 years, 20 days	Death of William McMahon	5	Gorton McMahon Whitlam Fraser Hawke
31 March 1988	20 December 1991	Death of William McMahon	3 years, 264 days	Appointment of Paul Keating	4	Gorton Whitlam Fraser Hawke
20 December 1991	11 March 1996	Appointment of Paul Keating	4 years, 82 days	Appointment of John Howard	5	Gorton Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating
11 March 1996	19 May 2002	Appointment of John Howard	6 years, 69 days	Death of John Gorton	6	Gorton Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating Howard
19 May 2002	3 December 2007	Death of John Gorton	5 years, 198 days	Appointment of Kevin Rudd	5	Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating Howard
3 December 2007	24 June 2010	Appointment of Kevin Rudd	2 years, 203 days	Appointment of Julia Gillard	6	Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating Howard Rudd
24 June 2010	18 September 2013	Appointment of Julia Gillard	3 years, 86 days	Appointment of Tony Abbott	7	Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard
18 September 2013	21 October 2014	Appointment of Tony Abbott	1 year, 33 days	Death of Gough Whitlam	8	Whitlam Fraser Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott
21 October 2014	20 March 2015	Death of Gough Whitlam	150 days	Death of Malcolm Fraser	7	Fraser Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott
20 March 2015	15 September 2015	Death of Malcolm Fraser	179 days	Appointment of Malcolm Turnbull	6	Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott
15 September 2015	24 August 2018	Appointment of Malcolm Turnbull	2 years, 343 days	Appointment of Scott Morrison	7	Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott Turnbull
24 August 2018	16 May 2019	Appointment of Scott Morrison	265 days	Death of Bob Hawke	8	Hawke Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott Turnbull Morrison
16 May 2019	present	Death of Bob Hawke	2 years, 165 days	present	7	Keating Howard Rudd Gillard Abbott Turnbull Morrison

Statistics

• Because he was the first prime minister, and the fact that there have been at least four prime ministers living since the appointment of George Reid on 18 August 1904, Edmund Barton is the only person to ever hold the distinction of being the only living prime minister (from 1 January 1901 to 24 September 1903).
• In addition, Alfred Deakin and Chris Watson are the only other persons to have been one of three or fewer living prime ministers (from 24 September 1903 to 18 August 1904).
• During two periods there have been 9 living prime ministers. The first such period was from 7 October 1941 to 18 November 1941 (when Chris Watson, Joseph Cook, Billy Hughes, Stanley Bruce, James Scullin, Earle Page, Robert Menzies, Arthur Fadden, and John Curtin were alive. The second and most recent period was from 13 July 1945 to 30 July 1947 (when Joseph Cook, Billy Hughes, Stanley Bruce, James Scullin, Earle Page, Robert Menzies, Arthur Fadden, Frank Forde, and Ben Chifley were alive). The longest period where there have been 9 living prime ministers was 2 years and 17 days, ending with the death of Joseph Cook in July 1947.
• Chris Watson was the only person to be both one of the three or fewer living prime ministers (from 27 April 1904 to 18 August 1904) and one of the 9 living prime ministers (from 7 October 1941 to 18 November 1941).
• There have been 17 administrations during which a prime minister has not died, the most recent being the administration of Malcolm Turnbull. This does not include the administration of Joseph Lyons (who was himself the only prime minister to die during his administration).
  • Conversely, only during the administration of Robert Menzies has there been as many as four deaths during an administration. Only twice (during the administrations of Billy Hughes and Malcolm Fraser) has there been as many as three deaths during an administration.
• Although Joseph Lyons died in office in 1939, he holds the distinction of serving for the longest period without the death of a former prime minister during his term (7 years and 91 days). Alfred Deakin who served for a total period of 4 years and 313 days holds the distinction of serving for the longest period during which no prime ministers died without dying in office himself. In recent years, the prime minister who served the longest without a death in his term was Paul Keating, who served for 4 years and 82 days.
• The longest period between deaths of prime ministers was the 14 years and 49 days between the deaths of William McMahon on 31 March 1988 and John Gorton on 19 May 2002. The shortest period is 92 days which has happened twice, firstly between the deaths of Alfred Deakin on 7 October 1919 and Edmund Barton on 7 January 1920, and most recently between the deaths of Billy Hughes on 28 October 1952 and James Scullin on 28 January 1953.
  • If the longest period between deaths is to be exceeded, no prime minister must die before 4 July 2033 (the current oldest and second oldest surviving prime ministers, John Howard and Paul Keating, would then be 94 and 89 years old respectively).
  • The second longest period was the 12 years and 155 days between the deaths of John Gorton on 19 May 2002 and Gough Whitlam on 21 October 2014.
• Only once (in 1967) have two prime ministers died in the same year.
• Following his administration's end in 1904, Chris Watson lived to see a record 15 administrations prior to his death in November 1941. Edmund Barton and Stanley Bruce follow with 10 administrations after their own administrations ended in 1903 and 1929 respectively, prior to their deaths in January 1920 and August 1967 respectively. In modern times, the prime minister to have lived to see the most administrations following their own was Bob Hawke, with 8 following the end of his administration in 1991.
• If one includes future as well as past and current prime ministers, the record of living prime ministers sits at 21:
  • Between Gough Whitlam's birth on 11 July 1916 and George Reid's death on 12 September 1918, the following prime ministers were alive: Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin, Chris Watson, George Reid, Andrew Fisher, Joseph Cook, Billy Hughes, Stanley Bruce, James Scullin, Joseph Lyons, Earle Page, Robert Menzies, Arthur Fadden, John Curtin, Frank Forde, Ben Chifley, Harold Holt, John McEwen, John Gorton, William McMahon, and Gough Whitlam.
• Since the appointment of Paul Keating on 20 December 1991 (a period of 29 years, 312 days), there have been at least five prime ministers living.

Oldest living prime ministers of Australia

Not all prime ministers live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 23 deceased prime ministers, 12 eventually became the oldest of their time, while 11 did not (including all 3 prime ministers who died in office, and 8 others). Joseph Cook became the oldest living prime minister when Edmund Barton died in 1920 and remained so until his death in 1947, for a record 27 years and 204 days. James Scullin became the oldest living prime minister after the death of Billy Hughes, but he survived Hughes by only 92 days.

On one occasion the oldest living prime minister lost this distinction not by his death, but due to the appointment of a prime minister who was older. Edmund Barton lost this distinction when George Reid was appointed, but when Reid died in 1918, Barton regained it again until his own death in 1920 for a total period of 4 years and 347 days.

Gough Whitlam was the oldest to acquire this distinction at the age of 85 years, and 312 days. Malcolm Fraser, who was 84 years, and 303 days old when he died, on 20 March 2015 was the oldest and most recent prime minister to die without ever acquiring this distinction.

Prime Minister	Period when oldest living prime minister		Age		Duration
	Start date	End date	at start	at end
Edmund Barton	1 January 1901	18 August 1904	51 years, 348 days	55 years, 213 days	3 years, 230 days
George Reid	18 August 1904	12 September 1918	59 years, 175 days	73 years, 199 days	14 years, 25 days
Edmund Barton	12 September 1918	7 January 1920	69 years, 237 days	70 years, 354 days	1 year, 117 days
Joseph Cook	7 January 1920	30 July 1947	59 years, 31 days	86 years, 235 days	27 years, 204 days
Billy Hughes	30 July 1947	28 October 1952	84 years, 308 days	90 years, 33 days	5 years, 90 days
James Scullin	28 October 1952	28 January 1953	76 years, 40 days	76 years, 132 days	92 days
Earle Page	28 January 1953	20 December 1961	72 years, 173 days	81 years, 134 days	8 years, 326 days
Stanley Bruce	20 December 1961	25 August 1967	78 years, 249 days	84 years, 132 days	5 years, 248 days
Frank Forde	25 August 1967	28 January 1983	77 years, 38 days	92 years, 194 days	15 years, 156 days
William McMahon	28 January 1983	31 March 1988	74 years, 339 days	80 years, 37 days	5 years, 63 days
John Gorton	31 March 1988	19 May 2002	76 years, 204 days	90 years, 252 days	14 years, 49 days
Gough Whitlam	19 May 2002	21 October 2014	85 years, 312 days	98 years, 102 days	12 years, 155 days
Bob Hawke	21 October 2014	16 May 2019	84 years, 316 days	89 years, 158 days	4 years, 207 days
John Howard	16 May 2019	–	79 years, 294 days	–	2 years, 165 days
Prime Minister	Start date	End date	Age at start	Age at end	Duration

^[3]

See also

• List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office

References

1. Died in office on this date.
2. On 17 December 1967, Holt disappeared while swimming in the ocean. On 19 December, it was announced he was presumed dead.
3. Updated daily according to UTC.

External links

• Timeline