Are Our Political Leaders Getting Too Old?
The recent 'freezing' of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at a press event in Kentucky, when the veteran politician seemed confused and disengaged - has put the spotlight on the age of many political leaders.
Joe Biden also seems unsure of where to go at press events and there. are many videos of him, looking confused.
So just how old our our leaders?
Well it varies of course. The oldest seems to be Paul Biya from the Cameroon, whilst the youngest is a couple of 37 year olds from Chile and Finland.
Pew Research data claims that the largest share of global leaders (35%) are in their 60s. Roughly a quarter (22%) are in their 50s, while 18% each are in their 40s or 70s.
It says: "Countries that are less free tend to have older leaders. In countries that Freedom House classifies as not free, the median age of the national leader is 69, compared with 61 in countries that are classified as partly free and 58 in countries classified as free"
The United States is one of only two countries that are classified as free and have a leader in their 80s or older. The other is Namibia, where the president is 81-year-old Hage Geingob.
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