Lists of state leaders

This article contains various lists of state leaders, defined as heads of state and/or heads of government. Typically this list includes presidents, prime ministers or monarchs.

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
1Queen Elizabeth II21 April 192689 years, 9 daysQueen of the United Kingdom and 15 other countries1952
2Bhumibol Adulyadej5 December 192787 years, 146 daysKing of Thailand1946
3Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah16 June 192985 years, 318 daysEmir of Kuwait2006
4Elliott Belgrave16 March 193184 years, 45 daysGovernor-General of Barbados2012
5Edmund Lawrence14 February 193283 years, 75 daysGovernor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis2013
6Marguerite Pindling26 June 193282 years, 308 daysGovernor-General of the Bahamas2014
7Colville Young20 November 193282 years, 161 daysGovernor-General of Belize1993
8Akihito23 December 193381 years, 128 daysEmperor of Japan1989
9Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud31 December 193579 years, 120 daysKing of Saudi Arabia2015
10Frederick Ballantyne5 July 193678 years, 299 daysGovernor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines2002

Term-bounded leaders

Rank Name Born Age Position Assumed office
1Robert Mugabe21 February 192491 years, 68 daysPresident of Zimbabwe1987
2Beji Caid Essebsi29 November 192688 years, 152 daysPresident of Tunisia2014
3Abdul Halim of Kedah28 November 192787 years, 153 daysYang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia2011
4Kim Yong-nam4 February 192887 years, 85 daysChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea1998
5Anerood Jugnauth29 March 193085 years, 32 daysPrime Minister of Mauritius2014
6Raúl Castro3 June 193183 years, 331 daysPresident of Cuba2008
7Paul Biya13 February 193382 years, 76 daysPresident of Cameroon1982
8Artur Rasizade26 February 193580 years, 63 daysPrime Minister of Azerbaijan2003
9Mahmoud Abbas26 March 193580 years, 35 daysPresident of Palestine2005
10Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa24 November 193579 years, 157 daysPrime Minister of Bahrain1970

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
1Abdul MominSultan of Brunei1885 (death)99 years, 5 months (?)[1]
2Enrico DandoloDoge of Venice1205 (death)97 years, 4 months (?)[2]
3Giovanni Paolo LascarisGrand Master of the Knights Hospitaller1657 (death)97 years, 47 days
4Nicolò da PonteDoge of Venice1585 (death)94 years, 196 days
5Malietoa Tanumafili IIMalietoa of Samoa2007 (death)94 years, 127 days
6Leo XIIIPope of the Holy See1903 (death)93 years, 140 days
7Gustaf VKing of Sweden1950 (death)92 years, 135 days
8Manuel Pinto de FonsecaGrand Master of the Knights Hospitaller1773 (death)91 years, 244 days
9Cuthbert SebastianGovernor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis2013 (retirement)91 years, 72 days
10Ludovico ICapitano del popolo of Mantua1360 (death)91 years (?)[3]

Term-bonded leaders

Rank Name Position Last year in office
(reason term ended)		 Age at end
1Hastings BandaPresident of Malawi1994 (lost election)96 years, 3 months (? age disputed)
2Tôn Đức ThắngPresident of Vietnam1980 (death)91 years, 223 days
3Robert MugabePresident of ZimbabweIncumbent 91 years, 68 days
4Shimon PeresPresident of Israel2014 (term ended)90 years, 356 days
5Eamon De ValeraPresident of Ireland1973 (term ended)90 years, 253 days
6Joaquin BalaguerPresident of the Dominican Republic1996 (term ended)89 years, 350 days
7Giorgio NapolitanoPresident of Italy2015 (resignation)89 years, 199 days
8Luis Alberto SánchezPrime Minister of Peru1989 (resignation)88 years, 353 days
9Girma Wolde-GiorgisPresident of Ethiopia2013 (term ended)88 years, 303 days
10Sandro PertiniPresident of Italy1985 (term ended)88 years, 277 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 ever

Rank Name Position Birth Death Age
1Chau Sen Cocsal ChhumPrime Minister of Cambodia (1962)19052009103 years, 135 days
2Celâl BayarPrime Minister of Turkey (1937–1939)
President (1950–1960)		18831986103 years, 98 days
3Antoine PinayPrime Minister of France (1952–1953)18911994102 years, 348 days
4Kazi Lhendup DorjeeChief Minister of Sikkim (1974–1975)19042007102 years, 290 days
5Telmo VargasHead of state of Ecuador (1966)1912Living102 years, 203 days
6Higashikuni NaruhikoPrime Minister of Japan (1945)18871990102 years, 48 days
7Willem DreesPrime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958)18861988101 years, 314 days
8Chang Ch'ünPremier of the Republic of China (1947–1948)18891990101 years, 209 days
9Bernardino González RuízPresident of Panama (1963)19112012101 years, 64 days
10Christopher HornsrudPrime Minister of Norway (1928)18591960101 years, 28 days

Top ten living

Rank Name Position Birth Age
1Telmo VargasHead of state of Ecuador (1966)9 October 1912102 years, 203 days
2Piet de JongPrime Minister of the Netherlands (1967–1971)3 April 1915100 years, 27 days
3Đỗ MườiPrime Minister of Vietnam (1988–1991), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1991–1997)2 February 191798 years, 87 days
4Babiker AwadallaPrime Minister of Sudan (1969)2 March 191798 years, 59 days
5Óscar Mendoza AzurdiaPresident of Guatemala (1957)4 June 191797 years, 330 days
6Kenan EvrenPresident of National Security Council (1980–1982), President of Turkey (1982–1989)17 July 191797 years, 287 days
7Émile Derlin ZinsouPresident of Benin (1968–1969)23 March 191897 years, 38 days
8Yasuhiro NakasonePrime Minister of Japan (1982–1987)27 May 191896 years, 338 days
9Konstantinos MitsotakisPrime Minister of Greece (1990–1993)18 October 191896 years, 194 days
10Patricio AylwinPresident of Chile (1990–1994)26 November 191896 years, 155 days

Longest serving state leaders

All of the state leaders who have reigned for over 50 years have been monarchs, with the exception of Fidel Castro, who was effectively, though not officially, leader of Cuba for 52 years, 93 days.

10 youngest serving state leaders

There are approximately 360 current leaders.

  1. Kim Jong-un (Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011), born 8 January 1983
  2. Irakli Garibashvili (Prime Minister of Georgia since 2013), born 28 June 1982
  3. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Emir of Qatar since 2013), born 3 June 1980
  4. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (King of Bhutan since 2006), born 21 February 1980
  5. Taavi Rõivas (Prime Minister of Estonia since 2014), born 26 September 1979
  6. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi (President of the Revolutionary Committee of Yemen since 2015), born 14 July 1979
  7. Chiril Gaburici (Prime Minister of Moldova since 2015), born 23 November 1976
  8. Charles Michel (Prime Minister of Belgium since 2014), born 21 December 1975
  9. Atifete Jahjaga (President of Kosovo since 2011), born 20 April 1975
  10. Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (Prime Minister of Iceland since 2013), born 12 March 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.

  1. Hussein of Jordan, King of Jordan, 16
  2. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, 16
  3. Faisal II, King of Iraq, 18 (began personal reign after a 14-year regency)
  4. Mswati III, King of Swaziland, 18 (began personal reign after a 3-year regency)
  5. Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, 18
  6. Ntare V, King of Burundi, 18
  7. Jean-Claude Duvalier, President of Haiti, 19
  8. Baudouin I, King of Belgium, 20
  9. Constantine II, King of Greece, 23
  10. Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, 24

See also

References

  1. ↑ Born in 1785, date unknown; died on May 30, 1885
  2. ↑ Born in 1107, date unknown; died in May 1205.
  3. ↑ Born in 1268, date unknown; died on 18 January 1360