Youngest And Oldest Prime Ministers

This table shows Australia’s 31 prime ministers listed in order of their age upon taking office.

Most prime ministers – 19 out of 31 (63%) – took office in their 50s. Three were in their 60s. Another seven were in their 40s, whilst two PMs were in their 30s.

Sir John McEwen (Country Party) was the oldest of all new PMs to assume the position, taking office at the age of 67 years. He served for three weeks. Chris Watson (ALP) was the youngest PM, taking office at the age of 37 years. He served for four months.

Whilst McEwen, William McMahon and Malcolm Turnbull all took office in their 60s, none were the result of an election. McEwen was a stop-gap PM after Holt disappeared, whilst McMahon and Turnbull overthrew their predecessors.

In addition to McEwen, McMahon and Turnbull, who took office in their 60s, another seven were in their 60s when they left office: Reid, Hughes, Curtin, Chifley, Hawke and Howard.

Sir Robert Menzies became prime minister for the first time when he was 44, following the death of Joseph Lyons. He started his long second term on December 19, 1949, the day before he turned 55. He went on to win four elections in his 60s. Retiring at the age of 72 in 1966, he is the oldest PM to have ever held the office.

The second-oldest prime minister was John Howard, who was 68 when he left office in 2007.

Anthony Albanese became prime minister on May 23, 2022, having won the election held just two days earlier. He was aged 59 years, 2 months, 22 days. He is the sixth oldest of the 31 prime ministers upon taking office.

Scott Morrison became prime minister on August 24, 2018, at the age of 50 years, 3 months and 11 days. Morrison replaced Malcolm Turnbull, who was 60 years, 10 months, 22 days old when he deposed Abbott. Turnbull is one of only three PMs who assumed the office in their sixties.

Four prime ministers (Deakin, Fisher, Menzies and Rudd) have served non-consecutive terms. In the table below, they are listed according to their first term in office.

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