List of Ghana Heads of state by age

This is a list of Ghana Heads of state by age. This table can be sorted to display Heads of state of Ghana by order of office (OO), date of birth, age at ascension, length of retirement, date of death or lifespan. Age at ascension is determined by the day a head of state assumed office, not the day of the election.

Two measures of longevity are given; this is to allow for the differing number of leap days occurring within the life of each President. The first column is the number of days between date of birth and date of death, allowing for leap days; the second column breaks this number down into years and days, with the years being the number of whole years the President lived, and the days being the remaining number of days after his last birthday.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 2px solid darkgrey; background:#efefef; border-collapse: collapse; white-space: nowrap; text-align: left" class="sortable" |- ! OO
! President ! Date of
birth !class="unsortable"| Date of
ascension ! Age at
ascension
!class="unsortable"| End of
term ! Length of
term
! Length of
retirement
! Date of
death ! Lifespan |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 1 | Queen Elizabeth IIQueen Elizabeth II | 1926-04-21Apr 21, 1926 | Mar 6, 1957 | 30y 10m 13d30y 10m 13d | Jul 1, 1960 | 01,2131,213 | }}}} | -- | }}d
81y }}d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 2 | Nkrumah, KwameKwame Nkrumah | 1909-09-21Sep 21, 1909 | Jul 1, 1960 | 50y 09m 10d50y 9m 108d | Feb 24, 1966 | 02,0642,064 | 02,2542,254 | 1972-04-27Apr 27, 1972 | 22,864d
62y 219d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 3 | Ankrah, Joseph Joseph Arthur
Ankrah | 1915-08-18Aug 18, 1915 | Feb 24, 1966 | 50y 06m 06d50y 6m 6d | Apr 2, 1969 | 01,1331,133 | 08,6388,638 | 1992-11-25Nov 25, 1992 | 28,224d
77y 99d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 4 | Afrifa, AkwasiAkwasi Amankwaa
Afrifa | 1936-04-24Apr 24 1936 | Apr 2, 1969 | 32y 11m 09d32y 11m 9d | Aug 7, 1970 | 00,492492 | 03,2453,245 | 1979-06-26Jun 26, 1979 | 15,768d
43y 63d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 5 | Ollennu, Nii AmaaNii Amaa
Ollennu | 1906-00-001906 | Aug 7, 1970 | 64y 00m 00dabout 64y | Aug 31, 1970 | 00,02424 | 05,8445,844 | 1986-00-001986 | 29,220d
about 80y |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 6 | Akufo-Addo, EdwardEdward
Akufo-Addo | 1906-06-26Jun 26, 1906 | Aug 31, 1970 | 64y 02m 05d64y 2m 5d | Jan 13, 1972 | 00,500500 | 02,7422,742 | 1979-06-16Jul 17, 1979 | 26,684d
73y 21d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 6b | Busia, KofiKofi Abrefa
Busia | 1913-07-11Jul 11, 1913 | Oct 1, 1969 | 55y 02m 20d55y 2m 20d | Jan 13, 1972 | 00,834834 | 02,4192,419 | 1978-08-28Aug 28, 1978 | 23,789d
65y 48d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 7 | Acheampong, IgnatiusIgnatius Kutu
Acheampong | 1931-09-23Sep 23, 1931 | Jan 13, 1972 | 40y 03m 21d40y 3m 21d | Jul 5, 1978 | 02,3732,373 | 00,346346 | 1979-06-16Jun 16, 1979 | 17,433d
47y 266d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 8 | Akuffo, FredFred
Akuffo | 1937-03-21Mar 21, 1937 | Jul 5, 1978 | 41y 03m 15d41y 3m 15d | Jun 4, 1979 | 00,334334 | 00,02222 | 1979-06-26Jun 26, 1979 | 15,437d
42y 97d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 9 | Rawlings, JerryJerry
Rawlings | 1947-06-22Jun 22, 1947 | Jun 4, 1979 | 31y 11m 13d31y 11m 13d | Sep 24, 1979 | 00,112112 | 00,829829 | -- | }}d
60y }}d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 10 | Limann, HillHilla
Limann | 1934-12-12Dec 12, 1934 | Sep 24, 1979 | 44y 09m 12d44y 9m 12d | Dec 31, 1981 | 00,829829 | 05,8675,867 | 1998-01-23Jan 23, 1998 | 23,053d
63y 42d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 11 | Rawlings, JerryJerry
Rawlings | 1947-06-22Jun 22, 1947 | Dec 31, 1981 | 34y 06m 09d34y 6m 9d | Jan 7, 2001 | 06,9476,947 | }}}} | -- | }}d
60y }}d |- style="text-align: right; background:#FFFFFF" | 12 | Kufuor, JohnJohn
Kufuor | 1938-12-08Dec 8, 1938 | Jan 7, 2001 | 62y 00m 30d62y 0m 30d | Jan 7, 2009 | }}}} | 00,0000 | -- | }}d
68y }}d |- class="sortbottom" style="text-align:right" ! OO
! President ! Date of
birth !class="unsortable"| Date of
ascension ! Age at
ascension
! class="unsortable"| End of
term ! Length of
term
! Length of
retirement
! Date of
death ! Lifespan |}

==Statistics==

• Queen Elizabeth II and Jerry Rawlings are the only living former heads of state.
• Queen Elizabeth II is:
  • The first head of state in 1957.
  • The youngest person to become head of state at   {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:03=04 | {{#ifexpr:06<21 | {{#expr:1957-1}} | 1957}} | 1957}}}} | month1=04 | day1=21 | year2=1957 | month2=03 | day2=06}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:03=04 | {{#ifexpr:06<21 | {{#expr:1957-1}} | 1957}} | 1957}}}} | month1=04 | day1=21 | year2=1957 | month2=03 | day2=06}}=1 |day|days}}.
  • The head of state with the "longest retirement" of (or }} days).
  • The oldest head of state still living at .

Excluding Queen Elizabeth II are the native Ghanaian heads of state.

• Kwame Nkrumah is:
  • The first Ghanaian to be president when he assumed the presidency on Ghana becoming a republic.
  • The first president to die, when he died from cancer in Bucharest, Romania in 1972.
• Joseph Arthur Ankrah is:
  • The first military head of state after the coup in 1966.
  • The longest lived head of state at {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:11=08 | {{#ifexpr:25<18 | {{#expr:1992-1}} | 1992}} | 1992}}}} | month1=08 | day1=18 | year2=1992 | month2=11 | day2=25}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:11=08 | {{#ifexpr:25<18 | {{#expr:1992-1}} | 1992}} | 1992}}}} | month1=08 | day1=18 | year2=1992 | month2=11 | day2=25}}=1 |day|days}}.
  • The Ghanaian head of state with the longest retirement at 8,638 days.
• Edward Akufo-Addo is:
  • The president of earliest birth on June 26, 1906.
  • The oldest person to become head of state at the age of   {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:08=06 | {{#ifexpr:31<26 | {{#expr:1970-1}} | 1970}} | 1970}}}} | month1=06 | day1=26 | year2=1970 | month2=08 | day2=31}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:08=06 | {{#ifexpr:31<26 | {{#expr:1970-1}} | 1970}} | 1970}}}} | month1=06 | day1=26 | year2=1970 | month2=08 | day2=31}}=1 |day|days}}.
  • The first head of state to die within Ghana.
• Fred Akuffo is:
  • The head of state with the shortest retirement as he was executed 22 days after being overthrown in a coup d'état.
  • The youngest head of state to die at {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:06 =03 | {{#ifexpr:26<21 | {{#expr:1979-1}} | 1979}} | 1979}}}} | month1=03 | day1=21 | year2=1979 | month2=06 | day2=26}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:06 =03 | {{#ifexpr:26<21 | {{#expr:1979-1}} | 1979}} | 1979}}}} | month1=03 | day1=21 | year2=1979 | month2=06 | day2=26}}=1 |day|days}}.
• Jerry Rawlings is:
  • The head of state of most recent birth on June 22, 1947.
  • The youngest Ghanaian to become head of state at {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:06=06 | {{#ifexpr:04<22 | {{#expr:1979-1}} | 1979}} | 1979}}}} | month1=06 | day1=22 | year2=1979 | month2=06 | day2=04}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:06=06 | {{#ifexpr:04<22 | {{#expr:1979-1}} | 1979}} | 1979}}}} | month1=06 | day1=22 | year2=1979 | month2=06 | day2=04}}=1 |day|days}}.
  • The last military head of state after the coup in 1981.
  • The first African military ruler, who gained political legitimacy through the ballot-box and handed over power at the end of his mandate.
  • The youngest president still living at .
  • The longest rule by a military head of state of {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:01=12 | {{#ifexpr:07<31 | {{#expr:1993-1}} | 1993}} | 1993}}}} | month1=12 | day1=31 | year2=1993 | month2=01 | day2=07}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:01=12 | {{#ifexpr:07<31 | {{#expr:1993-1}} | 1993}} | 1993}}}} | month1=12 | day1=31 | year2=1993 | month2=01 | day2=07}}=1 |day|days}}.
  • The one with the shortest term of office for a substantive head of state of 112 days in 1979.
  • The one with the longest term of office of 6,947 days (or {{#ifexpr: =1 |year|years}}, | {{#ifexpr:01=12 | {{#ifexpr:07<31 | {{#expr:2001-1}} | 2001}} | 2001}}}} | month1=12 | day1=31 | year2=2001 | month2=01 | day2=07}} {{#ifexpr: | {{#ifexpr:01=12 | {{#ifexpr:07<31 | {{#expr:2001-1}} | 2001}} | 2001}}}} | month1=12 | day1=31 | year2=2001 | month2=01 | day2=07}}=1 |day|days}}), from 1981 to 2001. Adding his rule in 1979 makes it 7,059 days (or 19 years, 119 days) in all.
  • The first elected president to complete his term of office successfully.
• John Kufuor is:
  • The oldest president still living at .
  • On 27 June 2004, Kufuor became the oldest president still at post in Ghana surpassing Akufo-Addo's record of 65 years 201 days.
  • The first elected president to succeed another elected one through the ballot box.

Trivia

• John Kufuor will surpass J. A. Ankrah as the longest lived president if he lives until 17 March 2016.
• Jerry Rawlings will have the longest period of retirement if he lives to 1 September 2024.

Notes

See also

• Heads of state of Ghana
• List of Ghana governments