# Leaders Older Than Populations

> Global leaders often older than their citizens, with 75% living under leaders over 65.
- Title: Leaders Older Than Populations · Substack | Shortify
- Summary: Global leaders often older than their citizens, with 75% living under leaders over 65. Three in four people globally live under leaders older than 65…
- Keywords: leader age, median age, g20, cameroon, paul biya, vladimir putin, turkey, erdoğan, africa, autocracy, democracy, technology
- Source: Substack — https://hannahritchie.substack.com/p/how-old-are-leaders
- Author: Hannah Ritchie
- Published: 2026-10-14T05:59:03.561+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: leader age, median age, g20, cameroon, paul biya, vladimir putin, turkey, erdoğan, africa, autocracy, democracy, technology
## Global Leader Age Pattern
Three in four people globally live under leaders older than 65.
## Paul Biya's Extreme Case
Cameroon’s president Paul Biya is 93 years old and has been in office since he was almost 50.
## G20 Leader Age Distribution
Two leaders over 80: Brazil’s Lula da Silva and Donald Trump; seven over 70.
## Leader Tenure by Regime
None of 25 liberal democracies has a leader over 10 years; autocracies have leaders over 40 years.
## Global Median Leader Age
The median age of leaders globally is around 64 years.
## Regional Leader Age Differences
Africa has the oldest median leader age at nearly 70 years; Europe and South America have younger leaders.
## Age Gap Between Leaders and Populations
Leaders are older than the median age in 129 of 143 countries, with Cameroon having a 75-year gap.
## Autocratic Leaders' Longer Tenure
Autocratic leaders tend to stay in power longer than democratic leaders.
## African Leaders and Populations
31 of 41 African countries are autocracies, home to 8 of the 10 oldest leaders.
## Leader Age vs Population Age
Leaders are older than the median population age in 129 of 143 countries.
## Key takeaway

Three in four people globally live under leaders older than 65, creating significant age gaps in most countries.