Europe's leaders getting younger and bucking politics as usual

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The emergence of 34-year-old Ms Sanna Marin as Finland's new prime minister is no fluke. In recent years, Europe has seen its leaders getting younger as the new generation appears better at navigating increasingly complex political landscapes.

The average age of global leaders actually has increased since the 1950s, according to the Rulers, Elections and Irregular Government dataset, created by Dr Curtis Bell from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In Europe, though, it has been going down since the 1980s, falling significantly below the global average.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 12, 2019, with the headline Europe's leaders getting younger and bucking politics as usual. Subscribe