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.

Here is the full list of heads of state, from oldest to youngest:

CountryHead of StateGenderAgeGenerationCameroonPaul BiyaMale90Silent GenerationPalestineMahmoud AbbasMale88Silent GenerationSaudi ArabiaSalmanMale88Silent GenerationNorwayHarald VMale86Silent GenerationKuwaitSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahMale86Silent GenerationIranAli KhameneiMale84Silent GenerationDenmarkMargrethe IIFemale83Silent GenerationIrelandMichael D. HigginsMale82Silent GenerationItalySergio MattarellaMale82Silent GenerationNamibiaHage GeingobMale82Silent GenerationCote d'IvoireAlassane OuattaraMale81Silent GenerationMaltaGeorge VellaMale81Silent GenerationEquatorial GuineaTeodoro Obiang Nguema MbasogoMale81Silent GenerationZimbabweEmmerson MnangagwaMale81Silent GenerationUnited StatesJoe BidenMale81Silent GenerationNigeriaMuhammadu BuhariMale81Silent GenerationDominicaCharles SavarinMale80Silent GenerationCongo, Republic of theDenis Sassou NguessoMale80Silent GenerationBangladeshAbdul HamidMale79Silent GenerationAustriaAlexander Van der BellenMale79Silent GenerationGhanaNana Akufo-AddoMale79Silent GenerationIraqAbdul Latif RashidMale79Silent GenerationUgandaYoweri MuseveniMale79Silent GenerationNepalRam Chandra PaudelMale79Silent GenerationLiechtensteinHans-Adam IIMale78Silent GenerationBrazilLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaMale78Silent GenerationLaosThongloun SisoulithMale78Silent GenerationNicaraguaDaniel OrtegaMale78Silent GenerationAlgeriaAbdelmadjid TebbouneMale78Silent GenerationEritreaIsaias AfwerkiMale77Baby BoomersSwedenCarl XVI GustafMale77Baby BoomersBruneiHassanal BolkiahMale77Baby BoomersSamoaAfioga Tuimaleali'ifano Va'aleto'a Sualauvi IIMale76Baby BoomersDjiboutiIsmaïl Omar GuellehMale76Baby BoomersFinlandSauli NiinistöMale75Baby BoomersAntigua and BarbudaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersAustraliaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersBahamasCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersBelizeCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersCanadaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersGrenadaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersJamaicaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersNew ZealandCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersPapua New GuineaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersSaint Kitts and NevisCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersSaint LuciaCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersSolomon IslandsCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersTuvaluCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersUnited KingdomCharles IIIMale75Baby BoomersPortugalMarcelo Rebelo de SousaMale75Baby BoomersBarbadosDame Sandra MasonFemale74Baby BoomersSri LankaRanil WickremesingheMale74Baby BoomersPakistanArif AlviMale74Baby BoomersHaitiAriel HenryMale74Baby BoomersEast TimorJosé Ramos-HortaMale74Baby BoomersBahrainSheikh Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaMale73Baby BoomersEthiopiaSahle-Work ZewdeFemale73Baby BoomersMyanmarMyint SweMale72Baby BoomersMarshall IslandsDavid KabuaMale72Baby BoomersSouth SudanSalva Kiir MayarditMale72Baby BoomersGeorgiaSalome ZourabichviliFemale71Baby BoomersThailandMaha VajiralongkornMale71Baby BoomersTajikistanEmomali RahmonMale71Baby BoomersRussiaVladimir PutinMale71Baby BoomersSouth AfricaCyril RamaphhosaMale71Baby BoomersPanamaLaurentino CortizoMale70Baby BoomersCambodiaNorodom SihamoniMale70Baby BoomersKazakhstanKassym-Jomart TokayevMale70Baby BoomersChinaXi JinpingMale70Baby BoomersMexicoAndrés Manuel López ObradorMale70Baby BoomersYemenRashad al-AlimiMale69Baby BoomersTurkeyRecep Tayyip ErdoğanMale69Baby BoomersAngolaJoão LourençoMale69Baby BoomersSingaporeHalimah YacobFemale69Baby BoomersBelarusAlexander LukashenkoMale69Baby BoomersOmanHaitham bin TariqMale69Baby BoomersEgyptAbdel Fattah el-SisiMale69Baby BoomersMalawiLazarus ChakweraMale68Baby BoomersLuxembourgHenriMale68Baby BoomersLatviaEgils LevitsMale68Baby BoomersEcuadorGuillermo LassoMale68Baby BoomersLebanonNajib MikatiMale68Baby BoomersSomaliaHassan Sheikh MohamudMale68Baby BoomersGermanyFrank-Walter SteinmeierMale67Baby BoomersGuatemalaAlejandro GiammatteiMale67Baby BoomersGreeceKaterina SakellaropoulouFemale67Baby BoomersMauritaniaMohamed Ould GhazouaniMale67Baby BoomersCentral African RepublicFaustin-Archange TouadéraMale66Baby BoomersUzbekistanShavkat MirziyoyevMale66Baby BoomersPhilippinesBongbong MarcosMale66Baby BoomersRwandaPaul KagameMale66Baby BoomersTunisiaKaïs SaïedMale65Baby BoomersMonacoAlbert IIMale65Baby BoomersEstoniaAlar KarisMale65Baby BoomersBeninPatrice TalonMale65Baby BoomersIndiaDroupadi MurmuFemale65Baby BoomersTrinidad and TobagoPaula-Mae WeekesFemale65Baby BoomersComorosAzali AssoumaniMale64Baby BoomersSurinameChan SantokhiMale64Baby BoomersGabonAli Bongo OndimbaMale64Baby BoomersMozambiqueFilipe NyusiMale64Baby BoomersSeychellesWavel RamkalawanMale64Baby BoomersArgentinaAlberto FernándezMale64Baby BoomersArmeniaVahagn KhachaturyanMale64Baby BoomersMauritiusPrithvirajsing RoopunMale64Baby BoomersRomaniaKlaus IohannisMale64Baby BoomersTongaTupou VIMale64Baby BoomersSão Tomé and PríncipeCarlos Vila NovaMale64Baby BoomersMalaysiaAbdullah Sultan Ahmad ShahMale64Baby BoomersHondurasXiomara CastroFemale64Baby BoomersNigerMohamed BazoumMale63Baby BoomersTanzaniaSamia Suluhu HassanFemale63Baby BoomersJapanNaruhitoMale63Baby BoomersCabo VerdeJosé Maria NevesMale63Baby BoomersBelgiumPhilippeMale63Baby BoomersColombiaGustavo PetroMale63Baby BoomersCubaMiguel Díaz-CanelMale63Baby BoomersSudanAbdel Fattah al-BurhanMale63Baby BoomersKiribatiTaneti MaamauMale63Baby BoomersIsraelIsaac HerzogMale63Baby BoomersSouth KoreaYoon Suk-yeolMale63Baby BoomersUnited Arab EmiratesSheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al NahyanMale62Baby BoomersAfghanistanHibatullah AkhundzadaMale62Baby BoomersCosta RicaRodrigo Chaves RoblesMale62Baby BoomersIndonesiaJoko WidodoMale62Baby BoomersBotswanaMokgweetsi MasisiMale62Baby BoomersCzechiaPetr PavelMale62Baby BoomersSenegalMacky SallMale62Baby BoomersAzerbaijanIlham AliyevMale62Baby BoomersJordanAbdullah IIMale61Baby BoomersMontenegroMilo ÐukanovicMale61Baby BoomersMaldivesIbrahim Mohamed SolihMale61Baby BoomersPeruDina BoluarteFemale61Baby BoomersZambiaHakainde HichilemaMale61Baby BoomersVenezuelaNicolás MaduroMale61Baby BoomersNorth MacedoniaStevo PendarovskiMale60Baby BoomersCongo, Democratic Republic of theFélix TshisekediMale60Baby BoomersBulgariaRumen RadevMale60Baby BoomersLesothoLetsie IIIMale60Baby BoomersMoroccoMohammed VIMale60Baby BoomersBoliviaLuis ArceMale60Baby BoomersMicronesiaDavid W. PanueloMale59Baby BoomersFijiRatu Wiliame KatonivereMale59Baby BoomersSierra LeoneJulius Maada BioMale59Baby BoomersVanuatuNikenike VurobaravuMale59Baby BoomersLithuaniaGitanas NausedaMale59Baby BoomersThe GambiaAdama BarrowMale58Generation XSyriaBashar al-AssadMale58Generation XTogoFaure GnassingbéMale57Generation XLiberiaGeorge WeahMale57Generation XCroatiaZoran MilanovicMale57Generation XKenyaWilliam RutoMale57Generation XBosnia and HerzegovinaŽeljka CvijanovicFemale56Generation XAlbaniaBajram BegajMale56Generation XNetherlandsWillem-AlexanderMale56Generation XDominican RepublicLuis AbinaderMale56Generation XSpainFelipe VIMale55Generation XEswatiniMswati IIIMale55Generation XSloveniaNataša Pirc MusarFemale55Generation XMongoliaUkhnaagiin KhürelsükhMale55Generation XBurundiÉvariste NdayishimiyeMale55Generation XIcelandGuðni Th. JóhannessonMale55Generation XPalauSurangel Whipps Jr.Male55Generation XKyrgyzstanSadyr JaparovMale55Generation XSerbiaAleksandar VucicMale53Generation XVietnamVõ Văn ThưởngMale53Generation XParaguayMario Abdo BenítezMale52Generation XSwitzerlandAlain BersetMale51Generation XPolandAndrzej DudaMale51Generation XMoldovaMaia SanduFemale51Generation XGuinea-BissauUmaro Sissoco EmbalóMale51Generation XSlovakiaZuzana CaputováFemale50Generation XUruguayLuis Lacalle PouMale50Generation XCyprusNikos ChristodoulidesMale50Generation XMadagascarAndry RajoelinaMale49Generation XNauruRuss KunMale48Generation XLibyaMohamed al-MenfiMale47Generation XHungaryKatalin NovákFemale46Generation XFranceEmmanuel MacronMale46Generation XUkraineVolodymyr ZelenskyyMale45Generation XBhutanJigme Khesar Namgyel WangchuckMale43Generation XGuineaMamady DoumbouyaMale43Generation XGuyanaIrfaan AliMale43Generation XQatarSheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al ThaniMale43Generation XEl SalvadorNayib BukeleMale42MillennialsTurkmenistanSerdar BerdimuhamedowMale42MillennialsNorth KoreaKim Jong-unMale41MillennialsMaliAssimi GoïtaMale40MillennialsChadMahamat DébyMale39MillennialsChileGabriel BoricMale37MillennialsBurkina FasoIbrahim TraoréMale35Millennials

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.

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.

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.