Not Donald Trump or Lula Da Silva: This is the oldest world leader in 2025

President Donald Trump rang in his 79th birthday with a military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which was founded as the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.

Like his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump is among the oldest heads of state in the world. However, when accounting for monarchies—both constitutional and absolute—where heads of state can be significantly older, neither Biden nor Trump ranks in the top ten.

The world’s oldest head of state is President Paul Biya of Cameroon, who is 92 and has remained in power since 1982. Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Joseph Ngute, is somewhat younger, having turned 71 in March 2025.

Two heads of state are currently 89: Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, who is 46 days older than King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

The cases of Norway and Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the second-highest government position is held by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is 39 years old. A similar arrangement exists in Norway, where the head of state is 88-year-old King Harald V. Norway is a constitutional monarchy in which the king appoints the prime minister, typically following the results of parliamentary elections. Norway’s current prime minister is Jonas Gahr Støre, who is 24 years younger than King Harald.

The Middle East’s longest serving head of state

In fifth place is Ali Khamenei, who has served as Iran’s Supreme Leader (or Ayatollah in Farsi) since 1989. He succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. With more than three decades in power, Khamenei is the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.

Rounding out the top 10

Assuming office in May 2025, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové became President of Togo after being unanimously elected by the National Assembly. This followed a 2024 constitutional change that eliminated the requirement for a direct popular vote.

The seventh-oldest leader is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, currently serving as Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor—a caretaker role appointed by the president to oversee the interim government.

Rounding out the top ten are Mishal I, 84, who has served as Emir of Kuwait since 2023; Michael D. Higgins, 84, the President of Ireland; and Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, who is just over a decade younger than Cameroon’s Biya.

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