Topline
President Donald Trump, who will celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday with a UFC fight on the White House lawn, is among the oldest heads of state on Earth, according to an analysis released Tuesday by Pew Research Center.
U.S. President Donald Trump on May 22, 2026 in Suffern, New York.
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Key Facts
The data shows only 16 world leaders from 186 UN member states are older than Trump, led by Cameroon President Paul Biya, 93, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 90.
Seven of the world’s 10 oldest leaders are from African countries: Cameroon, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Of the 16 heads of state older than Trump, almost half lead countries that are defined as “not free†by Freedom House based on their citizens' political rights and civil liberties.
CHIEF CRITICS
A 2023 Pew study showed Trump, the oldest person inaugurated as president in the country's history, is not the age most Americans want their leader to be: the largest share (49%) said the ideal U.S. president would be someone in their 50s, followed by a person in their 60s (preferred by 24% of people). Only 3% of respondents said they'd prefer a president to be in their 70s or older. A large majority of Americans, 79%, also told Pew they support age limits for elected officials though there is currently no maximum age defined in the Constitution.
BIG NUMBER
36. That’s the age of the world’s youngest leader, Prime Minister Balen Shah of Nepal. Shah, who is also a rapper, was elected after youth-led protests helped oust the previous government.
KEY BACKGROUND
Concerns about his age and fitness for office have plagued Trump since he became the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, at the age of 78 in January 2025. Reports and images have shown bruising on his hand, swollen ankles, and a neck rash, all of which were explained away by his physician. Trump's office did confirm he's been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory condition in older adults, but the White House has insisted these issues are benign and he remains fit for office. He's also faced increased calls for transparency after opting to keep the results of medical check-ups private. He's undergone four physicals in his second term and, while presidents in the past routinely have public updates on their health and release reports of medical exams, Trump's reports are often light on details. Critics have also suggested Trump is not cognitively fit to serve as president, pointing to verbal slips, unusual public remarks, late-night social media activity, concerns about his temperament and signs of fatigue, including appearing to to doze off at public events (most recently at game 3 of the NBA finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday night). Trump has said he's not sleeping, but is closing his eyes for prolonged periods, because “it's very relaxing.â€
TANGENT
Trump has largely responded to age questions during his second term by arguing he remains unusually energetic and healthy for his age. Trump dismissed scrutiny about his age in January, telling a reporter “my health is perfect,” and in May followed up a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by posting to social media that, “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.”
