Gerontocracies
How many countries are led by an octogenarian?
– Out of 187 states assessed in March last year, 10 had heads of government aged over 80. The oldest – who is still in power, is the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, who celebrated his 91st birthday this week.
– The median age of a world leader in March last year was 62, with 18% in their forties, 22% in their fifties, 35% in their sixties and 18% in their seventies.
– Countries classified as ‘free’ (as defined by the thinktank Freedom House) tend to have younger leaders, with a median age of 58. Leaders of ‘partly free’ countries have a median age of 61 and those which are ‘not free’ a median age of 69.
– Following the death of Namibia’s 81-year-old president Hage Geingob on 4 February, Joe Biden, also 81, is now the oldest leader of a ‘free’ country.
Source: Pew Research Center
Force majorities
How ‘diverse’ is the army? Percentages of regular forces in 2023 that were:
Female | Ethnic background
Army 10.2
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