Politics
Visualized: The Head of State of Each Country, by Age and Generation
The Head of State of Each Country By Age and Generation
How many world leaders are in each generation?
This visualization by Edit Gyenge visualizes the ages of every nation’s head of state as of March 22, 2023, comparing them with the median population of the respective country. It uses data from the CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.
Editor’s note: This visualization looks specifically at heads of state. It should be mentioned that depending on the system of government in a country, heads of state shown here may or may not have actual political power. In some countries, the head of state may be a ceremonial position that does not impact day-to-day governance.
The Oldest and Youngest Heads of State
Here is the full list of heads of state, from oldest to youngest:
Country | Head of State | Gender | Age | Generation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cameroon | Paul Biya | Male | 90 | Silent Generation |
Palestine | Mahmoud Abbas | Male | 88 | Silent Generation |
Saudi Arabia | Salman | Male | 88 | Silent Generation |
Norway | Harald V | Male | 86 | Silent Generation |
Kuwait | Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Male | 86 | Silent Generation |
Iran | Ali Khamenei | Male | 84 | Silent Generation |
Denmark | Margrethe II | Female | 83 | Silent Generation |
Ireland | Michael D. Higgins | Male | 82 | Silent Generation |
Italy | Sergio Mattarella | Male | 82 | Silent Generation |
Namibia | Hage Geingob | Male | 82 | Silent Generation |
Cote d'Ivoire | Alassane Ouattara | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
Malta | George Vella | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
Equatorial Guinea | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
Zimbabwe | Emmerson Mnangagwa | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
United States | Joe Biden | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
Nigeria | Muhammadu Buhari | Male | 81 | Silent Generation |
Dominica | Charles Savarin | Male | 80 | Silent Generation |
Congo, Republic of the | Denis Sassou Nguesso | Male | 80 | Silent Generation |
Bangladesh | Abdul Hamid | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Austria | Alexander Van der Bellen | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Ghana | Nana Akufo-Addo | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Iraq | Abdul Latif Rashid | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Uganda | Yoweri Museveni | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Nepal | Ram Chandra Paudel | Male | 79 | Silent Generation |
Liechtenstein | Hans-Adam II | Male | 78 | Silent Generation |
Brazil | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | Male | 78 | Silent Generation |
Laos | Thongloun Sisoulith | Male | 78 | Silent Generation |
Nicaragua | Daniel Ortega | Male | 78 | Silent Generation |
Algeria | Abdelmadjid Tebboune | Male | 78 | Silent Generation |
Eritrea | Isaias Afwerki | Male | 77 | Baby Boomers |
Sweden | Carl XVI Gustaf | Male | 77 | Baby Boomers |
Brunei | Hassanal Bolkiah | Male | 77 | Baby Boomers |
Samoa | Afioga Tuimaleali'ifano Va'aleto'a Sualauvi II | Male | 76 | Baby Boomers |
Djibouti | Ismaïl Omar Guelleh | Male | 76 | Baby Boomers |
Finland | Sauli Niinistö | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Antigua and Barbuda | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Australia | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Bahamas | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Belize | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Canada | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Grenada | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Jamaica | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
New Zealand | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Papua New Guinea | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Saint Lucia | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Solomon Islands | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Tuvalu | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
United Kingdom | Charles III | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Portugal | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | Male | 75 | Baby Boomers |
Barbados | Dame Sandra Mason | Female | 74 | Baby Boomers |
Sri Lanka | Ranil Wickremesinghe | Male | 74 | Baby Boomers |
Pakistan | Arif Alvi | Male | 74 | Baby Boomers |
Haiti | Ariel Henry | Male | 74 | Baby Boomers |
East Timor | José Ramos-Horta | Male | 74 | Baby Boomers |
Bahrain | Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa | Male | 73 | Baby Boomers |
Ethiopia | Sahle-Work Zewde | Female | 73 | Baby Boomers |
Myanmar | Myint Swe | Male | 72 | Baby Boomers |
Marshall Islands | David Kabua | Male | 72 | Baby Boomers |
South Sudan | Salva Kiir Mayardit | Male | 72 | Baby Boomers |
Georgia | Salome Zourabichvili | Female | 71 | Baby Boomers |
Thailand | Maha Vajiralongkorn | Male | 71 | Baby Boomers |
Tajikistan | Emomali Rahmon | Male | 71 | Baby Boomers |
Russia | Vladimir Putin | Male | 71 | Baby Boomers |
South Africa | Cyril Ramaphhosa | Male | 71 | Baby Boomers |
Panama | Laurentino Cortizo | Male | 70 | Baby Boomers |
Cambodia | Norodom Sihamoni | Male | 70 | Baby Boomers |
Kazakhstan | Kassym-Jomart Tokayev | Male | 70 | Baby Boomers |
China | Xi Jinping | Male | 70 | Baby Boomers |
Mexico | Andrés Manuel López Obrador | Male | 70 | Baby Boomers |
Yemen | Rashad al-Alimi | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Turkey | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Angola | João Lourenço | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Singapore | Halimah Yacob | Female | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Belarus | Alexander Lukashenko | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Oman | Haitham bin Tariq | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Egypt | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Male | 69 | Baby Boomers |
Malawi | Lazarus Chakwera | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Luxembourg | Henri | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Latvia | Egils Levits | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Ecuador | Guillermo Lasso | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Lebanon | Najib Mikati | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Somalia | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud | Male | 68 | Baby Boomers |
Germany | Frank-Walter Steinmeier | Male | 67 | Baby Boomers |
Guatemala | Alejandro Giammattei | Male | 67 | Baby Boomers |
Greece | Katerina Sakellaropoulou | Female | 67 | Baby Boomers |
Mauritania | Mohamed Ould Ghazouani | Male | 67 | Baby Boomers |
Central African Republic | Faustin-Archange Touadéra | Male | 66 | Baby Boomers |
Uzbekistan | Shavkat Mirziyoyev | Male | 66 | Baby Boomers |
Philippines | Bongbong Marcos | Male | 66 | Baby Boomers |
Rwanda | Paul Kagame | Male | 66 | Baby Boomers |
Tunisia | Kaïs Saïed | Male | 65 | Baby Boomers |
Monaco | Albert II | Male | 65 | Baby Boomers |
Estonia | Alar Karis | Male | 65 | Baby Boomers |
Benin | Patrice Talon | Male | 65 | Baby Boomers |
India | Droupadi Murmu | Female | 65 | Baby Boomers |
Trinidad and Tobago | Paula-Mae Weekes | Female | 65 | Baby Boomers |
Comoros | Azali Assoumani | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Suriname | Chan Santokhi | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Gabon | Ali Bongo Ondimba | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Mozambique | Filipe Nyusi | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Seychelles | Wavel Ramkalawan | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Argentina | Alberto Fernández | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Armenia | Vahagn Khachaturyan | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Mauritius | Prithvirajsing Roopun | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Romania | Klaus Iohannis | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Tonga | Tupou VI | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
São Tomé and Príncipe | Carlos Vila Nova | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Malaysia | Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah | Male | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Honduras | Xiomara Castro | Female | 64 | Baby Boomers |
Niger | Mohamed Bazoum | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Tanzania | Samia Suluhu Hassan | Female | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Japan | Naruhito | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Cabo Verde | José Maria Neves | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Belgium | Philippe | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Colombia | Gustavo Petro | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Cuba | Miguel Díaz-Canel | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Sudan | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Kiribati | Taneti Maamau | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
Israel | Isaac Herzog | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
South Korea | Yoon Suk-yeol | Male | 63 | Baby Boomers |
United Arab Emirates | Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Afghanistan | Hibatullah Akhundzada | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Costa Rica | Rodrigo Chaves Robles | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Indonesia | Joko Widodo | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Botswana | Mokgweetsi Masisi | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Czechia | Petr Pavel | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Senegal | Macky Sall | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Azerbaijan | Ilham Aliyev | Male | 62 | Baby Boomers |
Jordan | Abdullah II | Male | 61 | Baby Boomers |
Montenegro | Milo Ðukanovic | Male | 61 | Baby Boomers |
Maldives | Ibrahim Mohamed Solih | Male | 61 | Baby Boomers |
Peru | Dina Boluarte | Female | 61 | Baby Boomers |
Zambia | Hakainde Hichilema | Male | 61 | Baby Boomers |
Venezuela | Nicolás Maduro | Male | 61 | Baby Boomers |
North Macedonia | Stevo Pendarovski | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Félix Tshisekedi | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Bulgaria | Rumen Radev | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Lesotho | Letsie III | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Morocco | Mohammed VI | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Bolivia | Luis Arce | Male | 60 | Baby Boomers |
Micronesia | David W. Panuelo | Male | 59 | Baby Boomers |
Fiji | Ratu Wiliame Katonivere | Male | 59 | Baby Boomers |
Sierra Leone | Julius Maada Bio | Male | 59 | Baby Boomers |
Vanuatu | Nikenike Vurobaravu | Male | 59 | Baby Boomers |
Lithuania | Gitanas Nauseda | Male | 59 | Baby Boomers |
The Gambia | Adama Barrow | Male | 58 | Generation X |
Syria | Bashar al-Assad | Male | 58 | Generation X |
Togo | Faure Gnassingbé | Male | 57 | Generation X |
Liberia | George Weah | Male | 57 | Generation X |
Croatia | Zoran Milanovic | Male | 57 | Generation X |
Kenya | William Ruto | Male | 57 | Generation X |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Željka Cvijanovic | Female | 56 | Generation X |
Albania | Bajram Begaj | Male | 56 | Generation X |
Netherlands | Willem-Alexander | Male | 56 | Generation X |
Dominican Republic | Luis Abinader | Male | 56 | Generation X |
Spain | Felipe VI | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Eswatini | Mswati III | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Slovenia | Nataša Pirc Musar | Female | 55 | Generation X |
Mongolia | Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Burundi | Évariste Ndayishimiye | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Iceland | Guðni Th. Jóhannesson | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Palau | Surangel Whipps Jr. | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Kyrgyzstan | Sadyr Japarov | Male | 55 | Generation X |
Serbia | Aleksandar Vucic | Male | 53 | Generation X |
Vietnam | Võ Văn Thưởng | Male | 53 | Generation X |
Paraguay | Mario Abdo Benítez | Male | 52 | Generation X |
Switzerland | Alain Berset | Male | 51 | Generation X |
Poland | Andrzej Duda | Male | 51 | Generation X |
Moldova | Maia Sandu | Female | 51 | Generation X |
Guinea-Bissau | Umaro Sissoco Embaló | Male | 51 | Generation X |
Slovakia | Zuzana Caputová | Female | 50 | Generation X |
Uruguay | Luis Lacalle Pou | Male | 50 | Generation X |
Cyprus | Nikos Christodoulides | Male | 50 | Generation X |
Madagascar | Andry Rajoelina | Male | 49 | Generation X |
Nauru | Russ Kun | Male | 48 | Generation X |
Libya | Mohamed al-Menfi | Male | 47 | Generation X |
Hungary | Katalin Novák | Female | 46 | Generation X |
France | Emmanuel Macron | Male | 46 | Generation X |
Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Male | 45 | Generation X |
Bhutan | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Male | 43 | Generation X |
Guinea | Mamady Doumbouya | Male | 43 | Generation X |
Guyana | Irfaan Ali | Male | 43 | Generation X |
Qatar | Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani | Male | 43 | Generation X |
El Salvador | Nayib Bukele | Male | 42 | Millennials |
Turkmenistan | Serdar Berdimuhamedow | Male | 42 | Millennials |
North Korea | Kim Jong-un | Male | 41 | Millennials |
Mali | Assimi Goïta | Male | 40 | Millennials |
Chad | Mahamat Déby | Male | 39 | Millennials |
Chile | Gabriel Boric | Male | 37 | Millennials |
Burkina Faso | Ibrahim Traoré | Male | 35 | Millennials |
Though ages vary across countries and regions, Africa has both the oldest and youngest heads of state in the world today.
Last month, Cameroon’s president Paul Biya celebrated his 90th birthday, making him the oldest head of state in the world in a country that has a median population age of just 18.5 years. The African continent is home to about one-third of the world’s silent generation heads of states.
At the other age extreme, 35-year-old Ibrahim Traoré became the youngest head of state in Burkina Faso after a coup d’etat in September 2022.
Traoré is not the only millennial head of state out there. He is joined by others including Chile’s Gabriel Boric, and North Korea’s well-known Kim Jong-un.
Baby Boomers Lead the Way
Born between 1946 and 1964, the baby boomer generation dominates the world’s state leadership roles today.
Over 58% of the world’s heads of state are in this generation, including the UK’s King Charles III who is the head of state of 15 total nations.
Boomers also make up the largest share of women leaders in the top state positions today. While only around 10% of the world’s nations have women head of states, 65% of them are in this generation.
Included in this subset are heads of state such as Peru’s president Dina Boluarte, Honduras’ president Xiomara Castro, and India’s president Droupadi Murmu.
Where Gen X Takes the Lead
According to historical trends, one might expect to see an American president from Generation X in office sometime soon, but that has not yet materialized for various reasons.
However, this generation has made their mark in other parts of the world as heads of state, especially in Europe.
The presidents of Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelenskyy), France (Emmanuel Macron), and Hungary (Katalin Novák) are in Gen X, and are also Europe’s youngest heads of state.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Public Opinion
How Do Chinese Citizens Feel About Other Countries?
What is the Chinese public’s view of world powers? This visual breaks down Chinese sentiment towards other countries.
Public Opinion: How Chinese Citizens Feel About Other Countries
Tensions over Taiwan, the COVID-19 pandemic, trade, and the war in Ukraine have impacted Chinese sentiment towards other countries.
This visualization uses data from the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University to rank survey responses from the Chinese public on their attitudes towards countries and regions around the world.
Chinese Sentiment Towards Other Countries in 2023
In the Center’s opinion polls, which surveyed a random sample of more than 2,500 Chinese mainland adults in November 2022, Russia came out significantly ahead.
Just under 60% of respondents held Russia in a favorable view, with 19% seeing the country as “very favorable.” Contrast that to the mere 12% that viewed the U.S. in a positive light.
Here’s a closer look at the data. The percentages refer to the share of respondents that voted for said category.
Country/Region | Very Unfavorable | Somewhat Unfavorable | Neutral | Somewhat Favorable | Very Favorable |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
🇺🇸 United States | 37.4% | 21.7% | 28.7% | 9.2% | 3.0% |
🇯🇵 Japan | 38.4% | 19.1% | 29.4% | 10.7% | 2.3% |
🇮🇳 India | 25.4% | 25.2% | 41.5% | 6.7% | 1.3% |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 17.4% | 21.0% | 47.6% | 11.8% | 2.1% |
🇪🇺 European Union | 9.3% | 15.6% | 57.6% | 14.1% | 3.3% |
Southeast Asia | 7.1% | 13.1% | 59.5% | 16.8% | 3.5% |
🇷🇺 Russia | 3.0% | 4.8% | 33.7% | 39.4% | 19.0% |
Japan ranked just below the U.S. in terms of overall unfavorability, though a slightly higher share of respondents saw Japan as “very unfavorable” compared to America. This is likely due to both modern tensions in the East China Sea over mutually claimed islands and historical tensions over the Sino-Japanese Wars.
Chinese sentiment towards India was also unfavorable at just over 50%, though notably the country also received the lowest favorability rating at just 8%.
Additional Survey Findings
The survey also found that 39% of Chinese people get their information on international security from Chinese state-run media (mainly through TV), with an additional 19% getting information from government websites and official social accounts. Conversely, only 1.7% get their news from foreign websites and foreign social media, partially due to the Great Firewall.
When asked about different international security issues, the biggest shares of Chinese citizens ranked the following as their top three:
- Pandemics (12.9%)
- Disputes over territory and territorial waters (12.9%)
- China-U.S. relations (12.0%)
The pandemic’s high score reflects the harsher impact COVID-19 had on China. Chinese borders were shut for years and the public faced intense measures to reduce spread.
In terms of other world events, the majority of Chinese people align with a more “Eastern” viewpoint. For example, in regards to the war in Ukraine, the report found that:
“About 80 percent of the respondents believe the U.S. and Western countries should be held most accountable [for the war], while less than ten percent of the respondents argue that Russia is mainly responsible.”– Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University
Overall, the views of the Chinese public reflect the opposite of those found in many Western countries. They provide an important insight that it is not just the Chinese government holding particular views about the world, but the Chinese public as well.
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