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.
United States
Charting the Rise of America’s Debt Ceiling
By June 1, a debt ceiling agreement must be finalized. The U.S. could default if politicians fail to act—causing many stark consequences.

Charting the Rise of America’s Debt Ceiling
Every few years the debt ceiling standoff puts the credit of the U.S. at risk.
In January, the $31.4 trillion debt limit—the amount of debt the U.S. government can hold—was reached. That means U.S. cash reserves could be exhausted by June 1 according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Should Republicans and Democrats fail to act, the U.S. could default on its debt, causing harmful effects across the financial system.
The above graphic shows the sharp rise in the debt ceiling in recent years, pulling data from various sources including the World Bank, U.S. Department of Treasury, and Congressional Research Service.
Familiar Territory
Raising the debt ceiling is nothing new. Since 1960, it’s been raised 78 times.
In the 2023 version of the debate, Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is asking for cuts in government spending. However, President Joe Biden argues that the debt ceiling should be increased without any strings attached. Adding to this, the sharp uptick in interest rates have been a clear reminder that rising debt levels can be precarious.
Consider that historically, interest payments on the U.S. debt have been equal to about half the cost of defense. More recently, however, the cost of servicing the debt has risen, and is now almost on par with the defense budget as a whole.
Key Moments In Recent History
Over history, raising the debt ceiling has often been a typical process for Congress.
Unlike today, agreements to raise the debt ceiling were often negotiated faster. Increased political polarization over recent years has contributed to standoffs with damaging consequences.
For instance, in 2011, an agreement was made just days before the deadline. As a result, S&P downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+ for the first time ever. This delay cost an estimated $1.3 billion in extra costs to the government that year.
Before then, the government shut down twice between 1995 and 1996 as President Bill Clinton and Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich went head-to-head. Over a million government workers were furloughed for a week in late November 1995 before the debt limit was raised.
What Happens Now?
Today, Republicans and Democrats have less than two weeks to reach an agreement.
If Congress doesn’t make a deal the result would be that the government can’t pay its bills by taking on new debt. Payment for federal workers would be suspended, certain pension payments would get stalled, and interest payments on Treasuries would be delayed. The U.S. would default under these conditions.
Three Potential Consequences
Here are some of the potential knock-on effects if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by June 1, 2023:
1. Higher Interest Rates
Typically investors require higher interest payments as the risk of their debt holdings increase.
If the U.S. fails to pay interest payments on its debt and gets a credit downgrade, these interest payments would likely rise higher. This would impact the U.S. government’s interest payments and the cost of borrowing for businesses and households.
High interest rates can slow economic growth since it disincentivizes spending and taking on new debt. We can see in the chart below that a gloomier economic picture has already been anticipated, showing its highest probability since 1983.
Historically, recessions have increased U.S. deficit spending as tax receipts fall and there is less income to help fund government activities. Additional fiscal stimulus spending can also exacerbate any budget imbalance.
Finally, higher interest rates could spell more trouble for the banking sector, which is already on edge after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.
A rise in interest rates would push down the value of outstanding bonds, which banks hold as capital reserves. This makes it even more challenging to cover deposits, which could further increase uncertainty in the banking industry.
2. Eroding International Credibility
As the world’s reserve currency, any default on U.S. Treasuries would rattle global markets.
If its role as an ultra safe asset is undermined, a chain reaction of negative consequences could spread throughout the global financial system. Often Treasuries are held as collateral. If these debt payments fail to get paid to investors, prices would plummet, demand could crater, and global investors may shift investment elsewhere.
Investors are factoring in the risk of the U.S. not paying its bondholders.
As we can see this in the chart below, U.S. one-year credit default swap (CDS) spreads are much higher than other nations. These CDS instruments, quoted in spreads, offer insurance in the event that the U.S. defaults. The wider the spread, the greater the expected risk that the bondholder won’t be paid.
The US now has higher credit risk than Mexico, Greece, and Brazil pic.twitter.com/je4klBvHZ6
— Genevieve Roch-Decter, CFA (@GRDecter) May 11, 2023
Additionally, a default could add fuel to the perception of global de-dollarization. Since 2001, the USD has slipped from 73% to 58% of global reserves.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to steep financial sanctions, China and India are increasingly using their currencies for trade settlement. President of Russia Vladimir Putin says that two-thirds of trade is settled in yuan or roubles. Recently, China has also entered non-dollar agreements with Brazil and Kazakhstan.
3. Financial Sector Turmoil
Back at home, a debt default would hurt investor confidence in the U.S. economy. Coupled with already higher interest rates impacting costs, financial markets could see added strain. Lower investor demand could depress stock prices.
Is the Debt Ceiling Concept Flawed?
Today, U.S. government debt stands at 129% of GDP.
The annualized cost of servicing this debt has jumped an estimated 90% compared to 2011, driven by increasing debt and higher interest rates.
Some economists argue that the debt ceiling helps keep the government more fiscally responsible. Others suggest that it’s structured poorly, and that if the government approves a level of spending in its budget, that debt ceiling increases should come more automatically.
In fact, it’s worth noting that the U.S. is one of the few countries worldwide with a debt ceiling.
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