Why is the World Run by Old Men?

Video Description

Pick up a copy of Too Long: https://toolong.news/ Learn about how TLDR's Finances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeI4C7StAk8&ab_channel=TLDRNewsGlobal Well over half of the world's population is governed by septuagenarian and octogenarian leaders. In this video, we're taking a look at this growing gerontocracy phenomenon, why it's particularly pronounced in Africa, and why Europe has seemingly avoided it. 📰 Too Long: https://toolong.news/ 💡 Got a Topic Suggestion? - https://forms.gle/mahEFmsW1yGTNEYXA Our mission is to explain news and politics in an impartial, efficient, and accessible way, balancing import and interest while fostering independent thought. TLDR is a completely independent & privately owned media company that's not afraid to tackle the issues we think are most important. The channel is run by a small group of young people, with us hoping to pass on our enthusiasm for politics to other young people. We are primarily fan sourced with most of our funding coming from donations and ad revenue. No shady corporations, no one telling us what to say. We can't wait to grow further and help more people get informed. Help support us by subscribing, engaging and sharing. Thanks! ////////////////////// Sources: Paul Biya seeks reelection: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglpnk0kqko Afrobarometer polling on age limits: https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad599-africans-want-age-limits-for-government-heads-but-dont-reject-retirement-age-leaders/ Age of US Congress: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/05/us/politics/congress-age.html https://data.ipu.org/age-brackets/?date_month=8&date_year=2025&order=desc&region=0&sort=age_average&structure https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/04/28/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers-as-americas-largest-generation/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/ US House reelection rate: https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/reelection-rates World leaders getting older, The Economist: https://www.economist.com/interactive/the-world-ahead/2024/11/18/world-leaders-are-getting-older-except-in-democracies The World is Run by Old Men in a Hurry, Janan Ganesh, FT: https://www.ft.com/content/1d41a591-940d-4936-b79f-4c7857138903 Academic research on impact of minimum age limits and electoral system on youth representation: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-political-science-review/article/age-representation-in-parliaments-can-institutions-pave-the-way-for-the-young/C68F5A9F0A26696241914CAA22B5086B Median ages across continents/regions: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250221-2 https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/northern-america-population/ https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-population/ https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/demographics-of-asia/ https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/africa-population/ https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/oceania-population/ Median leader ages calculated by TLDR 00:00 - Introduction 01:10 - Africa 04:03 - United States 06:13 - Is It a Problem? 07:28 - European Exception 08:17 - Sponsored Content