This article contains various lists of state leaders organized by age, defined as heads of state and/or heads of government.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Biya | President of Cameroon | 1982 [2] | 13 February 1933 | 91 years, 323 days |
| 2 | Mahmoud Abbas | President of the Palestinian National Authority, President of the State of Palestine | 2005 | 15 November 1935 | 89 years, 47 days |
| 3 | Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud | King of Saudi Arabia | 2015 [3] | 31 December 1935 | 89 years, 1 day |
| 4 | Francis | Pope of the Holy See, Sovereign of the Vatican City State | 2013 | 17 December 1936 | 88 years, 15 days |
| 5 | Harald V | King of Norway [4] | 1991 | 21 February 1937 | 87 years, 315 days |
| 6 | Ali Khamenei | Supreme Leader of Iran | 1989 [5] | 19 April 1939 | 85 years, 257 days |
| 7 | Muhammad Yunus | Chief Adviser of Bangladesh | 2024 | 28 June 1940 | 84 years, 187 days |
| 8 | Mishal I | Emir of Kuwait | 2023 | 27 September 1940 | 84 years, 96 days |
| 9 | Michael D. Higgins | President of Ireland | 2011 | 18 April 1941 | 83 years, 258 days |
| 10 | Sergio Mattarella | President of Italy | 2015 | 23 July 1941 | 83 years, 162 days |
| Rank | Name | Position | Last year in office (reason term ended) | Age at end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Rank | Name | Position | Assumed office | Born | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristrún Frostadóttir | Prime Minister of Iceland | 2024 | 12 May 1988 | 36 years, 234 days |
| 2 | Ibrahim Traoré | President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration of Burkina Faso | 2022 | 14 March 1988 | 36 years, 293 days |
| Interim President of Burkina Faso | 2022 | ||||
| 3 | Daniel Noboa | President of Ecuador | 2023 | 30 November 1987 | 37 years, 32 days |
| 4 | Milojko Spajić | Prime Minister of Montenegro | 2023 | 24 September 1987 | 37 years, 99 days |
| 5 | Jakov Milatović | President of Montenegro | 2023 | 7 December 1986 | 38 years, 25 days |
| 6 | Simon Harris | Taoiseach of Ireland | 2024 | 17 October 1986 | 38 years, 76 days |
| 7 | Paetongtarn Shinawatra | Prime Minister of Thailand | 2024 | 21 August 1986 | 38 years, 133 days |
| 8 | Gabriel Boric | President of Chile | 2022 | 11 February 1986 | 38 years, 325 days |
| 9 | Mohammed bin Salman | Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | 2022 | 31 August 1985 | 39 years, 123 days |
| 10 | Mahamat Déby | President of Chad [8] | 2024 | 4 April 1984 | 40 years, 273 days |
Currently living
| Rank | Name | Position | Assumed office | Age when assuming office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rajendra Bikram Shah | King of Nepal | 1816 | 2 years, 353 days |
| 6 | Isabella II | Queen of Spain | 1833 | 2 years, 354 days |
| 7 | Gyanendra | King of Nepal | 1950 [9] | 3 years, 123 days |
| 8 | Guangxu | Emperor of China | 1875 | 3 years, 195 days |
| 9 | Faisal II | King of Iraq | 1939 | 3 years, 337 days |
| 10 | Pedro II | Emperor of Brazil | 1831 | 5 years, 126 days |
The following lists show the oldest people who have served office as state leader (not limited to their age while in office).
| Rank | Name | Position | Born | Died | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state. The name given to the office of head of state depends on the country's form of government and any separation of powers; the powers of the office in each country range from being also the head of government to being little more than a ceremonial figurehead.
These are lists of incumbents, including heads of states or of subnational entities.
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rather the head of government, serving as the chief of the executive under either a monarch or a president in a republican form of government.
In the executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a group of ministers or secretaries who lead executive departments.
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A state visit is a formal visit by the head of a sovereign country to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host, it is generally called a state reception. State visits are considered to be the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between two sovereign states, and are in general characterised by an emphasis on official public ceremonies.
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