24/10/2025
Africa’s ageing presidents govern the world’s youngest populations.
In Cameroon, 92-year-old Paul Biya has been in power since 1982, while the median age of the population is just 19. Ivory Coast’s 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara is pursuing a fourth term in a country with a median age of 18.3. Other long-serving leaders include 86-year-old Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové of Togo, 85-year-old Peter Mutharika of Malawi, and Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, the world’s longest-serving president at 83. These leaders remain in power through constitutional changes or political maneuvering, governing nations with youth-dominated populations facing social and economic challenges.
