Top 20 Youngest Presidents In The World (2023)

In most cases, power is the sole preserve of the elderly. However, the youngest presidents in the world have challenged the status quo; and have successfully proven that age has precious little to do with governance.

While not all of these world leaders are celebrated because of the way some of them assumed power, they have all earned the respect and authority they have because as sitting heads of government, they represent the interests of their countries and their people.

Perhaps this means that even younger people will continue to aspire to positions of power and authority.

Top 20 Youngest Presidents In The World

1. Ibrahim Traore

Ibrahim Traore (34) is the youngest serving person who is in charge of a country. He is the interim president of Burkina Faso; he assumed office in September 2022, after a coup to remove interim President Henri Damiba.

He seized power when it looked like the sitting president was not doing enough to fight an insurgency which has bedeviled the country, and crippled the economy for years.

Being short of years does not make him helpless; Ibrahim Traore has quickly consolidated his power by evicting French forces who were helping to fight the insurgency. He announced that his government wanted to explore new horizons, and look for win- win partnerships.

He has also reached out to Mali and Guinea; inviting them to come together in order to form a federation. He has been accused of receiving military support from Russian mercenaries; although he has denied these claims.

2. Jakov Milatović

Jakov Milatović is the president of Montenegro; he has been serving since May 2023. At 36 years of age, he is one of the youngest presidents in the world; and he is the youngest to attain that position through a democratic process of election.

Even though he is probably the most handsome world leader; he attained his position through proven capacity and energy. He has previously served as minister of economic development; during which he drafted the “Europe Now” programme; which became very popular in his home country.

He has a background in economics; he has previously worked for Deutsche Bank, and NLB Group Podgorica, and then he worked for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

3. Gabriel Boric

Gabriel Boric (37) is the youngest president in the history of Chile. He assumed office on 11 March 2022. He rose to prominence on the back of a track record of activism, and proven leadership. He was also fortunate to mature at a time when the people of his country were frustrated with the system, and wanted something different.

He studied law at the University of Chile but did not graduate. He was widely popular, having been the President of the University of Chile Student Federation, and leading student protests. He was also instrumental in setting the ground for constitutional referendum.

He has previously been elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and he is a founding member of a popular political party.

4. Mahamat Deby

Mahamat Deby is the interim president of Chad. He is 39 years old; and the son of the Late Idris Deby who ruled the country for several years. He is a four star general; and it is not clear whether his father had intended for Mahamat Deby to succeed him as Marshal of the country.

However, he was appointed by the Transitional Military Council to replace his father in an interim capacity. His father died in combat during a military engagement with rebel forces in 2021, and the top military brass came together to appoint him as leader of the country.

It is not known how long he intends to stay as president; or whether he intends to return the country to an elective democracy.

5. Alessandro Scarano

Alessandro Scarano is the Captain Regent of San Marino; a small, ancient, country enclave in Italy. He is 39 years old, and has already built quite a reputation for himself in politics. He has previously been a member of the Grand and General Council on two occasions, and he is a member of the Foreign and Internal Affairs Commissions.

It must be stated that San Marino has a unique and ancient type of government which it inherited from ancient Rome. Captain Regents are usually two at a time; and they serve for 6 months.

6. Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un is the supreme leader of North Korea; he has been in that position since 2011, and has been behind the scenes running the country when it was under his father Kim Jong Il; who died in 2011. He is also the leader of the Workers Party of Korea.

He was born in 1984; making him one of the youngest world leaders at 39 years old. As a young man he may be given to behavior that is consistent with his age; as shown by his nuclear grandstanding with the similarly young Donald Trump of America.

7. Nayib Bukele

Nayib Bukele is the 41 year old president of El Salvador. He has been president of the country since June 2019. He had previously been Mayor of San Salvador. Nayib Bukele can be called a revolutionary; he has promised to build a white collar prison for corrupt government officials in the country.

His threats will be taken seriously because he has previously delivered on a promise to curb the rate of murders in the country. He stated that he achieved this feat by deploy thousands of police and soldiers to gang strongholds, but some have said he negotiated with gangs.

8. Emannuel Macron

Emannuel Macron is the president of France; he has held that position since 2017. He is now 45 years old; and when he assumed the presidency he was 40 years old; making him the youngest democratically elected president.

Emmanuel macron is an astute politician as shown by his working hard to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron is one of the most respected figures in Europe; he is also quite noticeable for his openness about his somewhat usual personal.

9. Volodymyr Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born 25 January 1978; he is 45 years old. He obtained a degree in law from the Kyiv National Economic University, found himself working as a comedian instead. He created a production company Kvartal 95, which made films, cartoons, and TV shows including the TV series Servant of the People, in which he acted as the president.

That acting soon became real as those around him founded a political party with the same name as his production company, and he contested for president.

Ukraine has been in a bloody war with neighbors and superpowers Russia; and Zelensky is seen in some quarters as a hero.

10. Andry Nirina Rajoelina

Andry Nirina Rajoelina is the president of Madagascar; he has held the position since 2019. He was born 30 May 1974; making him 49 years old. He is one of the most established politicians in his country; he has a background in business; having been the Chairman of a printing and advertising company, as well as radio and television networks.

He turned to politics, and established the Young Malagasies Determined party, on the back of which he became mayor of Antananarivo.

He then became president of the provisional government after a military coup, before stepping down to conduct elections. He has also been in the Senate.

The following is a more complete list of the youngest presidents in the world.

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Closing

While reading the list of the youngest presidents in the world; please note that there are a few people who have not attained their positions via democratic elections; but who nevertheless have executive power in their countries, and are therefore “presidents” under the present constitutions of their countries.

This list does not include those who rule by birthright such as in monarchies, but there are two individuals who hold the supreme positions after their fathers. They are included because they have not installed themselves as rulers by their own power, but have been chosen by peers, or committees of decision makers to direct the affairs of their countries, sometimes in interim capacities.

It is understood that such interim governments can sometimes can sometimes last for many years, and can sometimes metamorphose into permanent regimes.