This column begins with a simple but striking observation – the world’s most powerful leaders are old.

Donald Trump (79), Benjamin Netanyahu (76), Narendra Modi (75), Vladimir Putin (73), and Xi Jinping (72) dominate global politics. 

That is not unusual on its own. What is unusual is how consistent this pattern has become. 

Looking at national leaders across major economies since 1901, we find that today’s leaders are older than at any point in modern history. This isn’t random. It’s demography in action. 

For completeness sake, here is the age of our Australian prime ministers since 1901. 

The Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1963, were an unusually large generation. They moved through society like a demographic wave, filling universities, workplaces and eventually leadership pipelines. And once they reached the top, they stayed there. 

Longer life expectancy, better health and the professionalisation of politics turned leadership into a long-duration career.

Incumbency advantages strengthened. Political networks deepened. The result is a bottleneck at the top. 

Millennials, now in their late 20s to mid-40s, have reached the age where previous generations began to dominate political leadership.

Yet at the national level, they remain largely absent. Not because they lack ambition or ability, but because the system above them has been slow to turn over. 

State politics tells a different story. 

Over the past 40 years, Australian state premiers have clustered around age 48. That........

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