These youngest Presidents and Leaders in the world come from different parts of the globe- from monarchies, democracies, and dictatorships in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Five of them are men while Vanessa D’Ambrosio, the only woman who made the list, is also the youngest among them, followed by Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea.
Their reign is a gradual revolution of the young generation of leaders around the globe. Take a look at their profiles. Meet the world’s six heads of state below 40 years of age:
World’s Youngest Presidents
#6. Saleh Ali al-Sammad
Born: January 1, 1979, Bani Ma’az in Sahar District
Country: Yemen
Office: President of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen
Declaration Date: August 14, 2016.
After the Houthi (a political movement) takeover of the Yemeni government, Saleh Ali al-Sammad became the senior Houthi leader in Sana’a. Meanwhile, he previously served as a political adviser to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, appointed in September 2014.
#5. Emil Dimitriev
Born: March 19, 1979, in Probištip
Country: Macedonia (FYROM)
Office: Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
Declaration Date: January 15, 2016
Dimitriev was nominated in an interim capacity as prime minister of Macedonia and he assumed office on January 18 following the arranged pre-electoral resignation of Nikola Gruevski, as part of the Przino Agreement.
#4. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Born: February 21, 1980, in Thimphu, Bhutan
Country: Kingdom of Bhutan
Office: Druk Gyapol (King of Bhutan)
Date Of Coronation: December 9, 2006 
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the fifth and current reigning Druk Gyalpo or “Dragon King” of the Kingdom of Bhutan, after his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne in his favour. Jigme comes from a line of hereditary rulers who have reigned in Bhutan for the past 100 years. He was educated in India and the United States before moving on to Oxford University to study politics and international relations. He became King at the age of 25 while his father acceded to the throne when he was only 16 years old. Wangchuck ensured that the new constitution of the Bhutan people was instituted in 2008, and is encouraging democratization.
#3. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Born: June 3, 1980, in Doha, Qatar
Country: Qatar
Office: Emir of Qatar
Coronation Date: June 25, 2013
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the third on the list of world’s youngest presidents. He is the eighth and current Ameer of the State of Qatar, the fourth son of the previous Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Tamim became Qatar’s 8th Emir on 25 June 2013 after his father’s abdication. Sheikh Tamim’s father also took power from his own father in a non-violent coup 18 years prior. Tamim, as of 2018, is the youngest reigning monarch among the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and the youngest current sovereign worldwide.
# 2. Kim Jong Un
Born: January 8, 1983, in Pyongyang, North Korea
Country: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Office: Supreme Leader of North Korea
Declaration Date: December 17, 2011
Kim Jong-un is currently the only youngest President in the world. He has been the supreme leader of North Korea since 17 December 2011. Kim inherited leadership from his father, and supreme leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-il, after he (Kim’s father) died in 2011. He has not slowed down in repressing opposition within the closed-off country and escalate testing of its nuclear missiles.
Apart from being the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Kim Jong-un is also the Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and member the country’s highest decision-making body, the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
#1. Vanessa D’Ambrosio
Born: April 26, 1988, in Borgo Maggiore, San Marino
Country: San Marino, Europe
Office: Captain Regent of San Marino
Declaration Date: April 2017
Vanessa D’Ambrosio tops the list of world’s youngest leaders and she is currently the second youngest woman to become Captain Regent in the history of San Marino after Maria Lea Pedini-Angelini, who was sworn in at the age of 25. She served in the position at the age of 28, alongside her co-captain regent, Mimma Zavoli, until October 2017. Since December 2016, D’Ambrosio has been the Head of Delegation for San Marino to the Council of Europe.
