Gerontocracy
A gerontocracy is a form of rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are substantially older than most of the adult population.
In many political structures, power within the ruling class accumulates with age, making the oldest individuals the most powerful. Those holding the most power may not be in formal leadership positions, but often dominate those who are. In a simplified definition, a gerontocracy is a society where leadership is reserved for elders.
Although the idea of the elderly holding power exists in many cultures, the gerontocracy has its African roots in Esan West Africa and it is still practice by Amedokhian people and many other Esan communities and in Europe in ancient Greece. Plato stated that "it is for the elder man to rule and for the younger to submit". An example of the ancient Greek gerontocracy can be seen in the city-state of Sparta, which was ruled by a Gerousia, a council made up of members who were at least 60 years old and who served for life.
In democracies, gerontocracy is connected to higher voter turnout with age and can result in disproportionate pension spending.
In political systems
Africa
Reporting on the then 92-year-old Paul Biya's campaign for an eighth term as president of Cameroon, NPR noted a high rate of elderly heads of state across Africa, including Peter Mutharika of Malawi, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe. At the time of the article's writing, Mutharika was 85 years old and Museveni was 81, while the latter three were all 83. Biya himself was the oldest non-regent incumbent head of state.Communist states
with leaders in their seventies or higher have included:- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
- East Germany
- Hungary
- Laos
- North Korea
- Romania
- Somalia
- Vietnam
- Yugoslavia
China
Between 1982 and 1992, the Central Advisory Commission's power and authority often surpassed the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. It was quipped, "the 80-year-olds are calling meetings of 70-year-olds to decide which 60-year-olds should retire", as CMC chairman Deng Xiaoping did not retire until the age of 85 after forcing his predecessor Hua Guofeng to retire at age 60. Also, before that, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong died in office at the age of 82 and more than one Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress held office older than that.Soviet Union
In the Soviet Union, gerontocracy became increasingly entrenched starting in the 1970s; it was prevalent in the country until at least 1985, when a more dynamic and younger, ambitious leadership headed by Mikhail Gorbachev took power. Leonid Brezhnev, its foremost representative, died in 1982 aged 75, but had suffered a heart attack in 1975, after which generalized arteriosclerosis set in, so that he was progressively infirm and had trouble speaking. During his last two years he was essentially a figurehead. His premier, Alexei Kosygin, was 76 when he resigned in October 1980, by which time he was very ill and two months short of his death.In 1980, the average Politburo member — generally a young survivor of the Great Purge who rose to power in the 1930s and 1940s — was 70 years old, and by 1982, Brezhnev's minister of foreign affairs, Andrei Gromyko; his minister of defense, Dmitriy Ustinov; and his premier, Nikolai Tikhonov, were all in their mid-to-late seventies, and his first vice president, Vasily Kuznetsov, was already in his eighties. Yuri Andropov, Brezhnev's 68-year-old successor, was seriously ill with kidney disease when he took over, and after his death fifteen months later, he was succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko, then 72, who lasted thirteen months before his death and replacement with Gorbachev. Chernenko became the third Soviet leader to die in less than three years, and, upon being informed in the middle of the night of his death, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who was seven months older than Chernenko and just over three years older than his predecessor Andropov, is reported to have remarked, "How am I supposed to get anyplace with the Russians if they keep dying on me?"
India
In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the government headed by 87-year-old state chief minister M. Karunanidhi was another example of gerontocracy. In another Indian state, West Bengal, CPI founder Jyoti Basu was 86 years old when he stepped down from the office of chief minister of the state after a record-setting 24 years of office, but he continued to remain a member of the Polit Bureau until a few months before his death in 2010 and was consulted on all matters related to governance by his successor and his cabinet as well as his other party colleagues.Italy
Present-day Italy is often considered a gerontocracy, even in the internal Italian debate. Former Italian prime minister Mario Monti was 70 when he left office. The Monti government had the highest average age in the western world at 64 years, with its youngest members being 57. His immediate predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, was 75 at the time of resignation in 2011. The previous head of the government Romano Prodi was nearly 69 when he stepped down in 2008. Italian president Sergio Mattarella is, while his predecessors Giorgio Napolitano and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi were 89 and 85 respectively when they left office. This trend has been disrupted in recent years, with Matteo Renzi becoming prime minister at age 39 in 2014, and Giorgia Meloni assuming the office at age 45 in 2022. As of 2014, the average age of Italian university professors is 63, of bank directors and chief executive officers 67, of members of parliament 56, and of labor union representatives 59.Japan
Modern Japan has been described as a gerontocracy and "generationally unjust, partially a product of the country's severely ageing population."Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was originally an example; the word senate is related to the Latin word senex, meaning "old man". Cicero wrote: "They wouldn't make use of running or jumping or spears from afar or swords up close, but rather wisdom, reasoning, and thought, which, if they weren't in old men, our ancestors wouldn't have called the highest council the senate."Stateless societies
In Kenya, Samburu society is said to be a gerontocracy. The power of elders is linked to the belief in their curse, underpinning their monopoly over arranging marriages and taking on further wives. This is at the expense of unmarried younger men, whose development up to the age of thirty is in a state of social suspension, prolonging their adolescent status. The paradox of Samburu gerontocracy is that popular attention focuses on the glamour and deviant activities of these footloose bachelors, which extend to a form of gang warfare, widespread suspicions of adultery with the wives of older men, and theft of their stock.American Indian elders and Australian Aboriginal elders are traditional figures of wisdom and authority in many Native American and Aboriginal cultures.
Theocracy
States and religious organizations such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which leadership is concentrated in the hands of religious elders can be considered gerontocracies. In Iran, parliamentary candidates must be under 75, despite the age of the senior religious leaders. Saudi Arabia, nominally a theocratic monarchy, has been likened to various late communist states, ruled by gerontocrats. Aged king Saud and his aged relatives held rule along with many elder clerics. They were in their eighties. Since 2017, however, power has become concentrated by Mohammed bin Salman–31 years old at the time when he became crown prince of Saudi Arabia. MBS, as his name is often abbreviated, has sidelined powerful, older members of the Saudi family.United States
In comparison to other countries, politicians in the United States are uniquely old. The observation of gerontocracy in the United States has been a subject of frequent criticism. A 2025 study examining why the US stands out in this regard found limited or inconsistent evidence for potential explanations such as greater public demand for older candidates, demographics-related explanations, or the role of US electoral institutions, while finding evidence indicating that the US system of campaign finance favored older candidates for public office.Presidency
Under presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the U.S. government has been described as a gerontocracy. At 70, Trump was the oldest person ever to be inaugurated president, until the inauguration of Biden at the age of 78 years and two months. After his second inauguration, Trump was again the oldest person inaugurated as president, at 78 years, seven months, and six days old.Biden's age was a subject of concern during his presidency and especially his reelection campaign, culminating in his withdrawal on 21 July 2024. Biden served as the oldest president at the end of his tenure, beating Ronald Reagan's record of 77; he was 82 years and two months old by the end of his term in 2025, making him the first president to turn 80 while in office. Assuming he serves until the end of his term, Trump will be the new record holder at 82 years, seven months, and six days old.