List of prime ministers of India by longevity
| Prime Minister | Date of birth | Prime Minister |
|---|---|---|
| Manmohan Singh | 26 September 1932 | 2004–2014 |
| H. D. Deve Gowda | 18 May 1933 | 1996–1997 |
| Narendra Modi | 17 September 1950 | 2014–present |
This is a list of prime ministers of India by longevity. Where the person in question is still living, the longevity is calculated up to 22 November 2024.
Two measures of the longevity are given - this is to allow for the differing number of leap days occurring within the life of each prime minister. 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 prime minister lived, and the days being the remaining number of days after his/her last birthday.
If a prime minister served more than one non-consecutive term, the dates listed below are for the beginning of their first term, and the end of their final term.
The median age at which a prime minister first takes office is roughly 64 years and 166 days, which falls between Narendra Modi and P. V. Narasimha Rao. The oldest person to become Prime Minister was Morarji Desai, who became Prime Minister at the age of 81 years, 23 days. The youngest person to become Prime Minister was Rajiv Gandhi, who became Prime Minister at the age of 40 years, 72 days.
The oldest living prime minister is Manmohan Singh, born 26 September 1932 (aged 92 years, 57 days). The youngest living prime minister is the incumbent Narendra Modi, born 17 September 1950 (aged 74 years, 66 days). Manmohan Singh and H. D. Deve Gowda are the only surviving former prime ministers of India.
The longest lived prime minister was Morarji Desai, who lived to the age of 99 years, 41 days. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the second longest-lived prime minister, who lived to the age of 93 years, 234 days, 5 years and 172 days short of Desai. The oldest living prime minister Manmohan Singh will tie Vajpayee if he lives to 1 June 2026, and tie Desai if he lives to 6 November 2031. The shortest lived prime minister was Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated at the age of 46 years, 274 days. Lal Bahadur Shastri is the only prime minister to die abroad, when he died in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbek SSR in 1966.
The prime minister with the longest retirement is H. D. Deve Gowda. He left office 27 years, 215 days ago on 21 April 1997 and is still alive. The prime minister with the shortest retirement is Rajiv Gandhi, who died on 21 May 1991, 1 year and 170 days after leaving office on 2 December 1989.
Narendra Modi (17 September 1950) is the first prime minister of India to be born after the Independence of India. All other former prime ministers were born before the Independence of India.
Prime ministers of India[edit]
Living
Incumbent
| # |
Prime Minister | Date of birth | Place of birth | Start date of (first) term |
Age at beginning of (first) term |
End date of (final) term |
Total time in office |
Date of death | Place of death | Length of retirement | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | 14 November 1889 | Allahabad, North-Western Provinces |
15 August 1947 | 57 years, 274 days | 27 May 1964[1] | 16 years, 286 days | 27 May 1964 | New Delhi | N/A | 74 years, 195 days |
| 2 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 2 October 1904 | Mughalsarai, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
9 June 1964 | 59 years, 251 days | 11 January 1966[1] | 1 year, 216 days | 11 January 1966 | Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union |
N/A | 61 years, 101 days |
| 3 | Indira Gandhi | 19 November 1917 | Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
24 January 1966 | 48 years, 66 days | 31 October 1984[1] | 15 years, 350 days | 31 October 1984 | New Delhi | N/A | 66 years, 347 days |
| 4 | Morarji Desai | 29 February 1896 | Bhadeli, Bombay Presidency |
24 March 1977 | 81 years, 24 days | 28 July 1979 | 2 years, 126 days | 10 April 1995 | Bombay, Maharashtra |
15 years, 256 days | 99 years, 41 days |
| 5 | Charan Singh | 23 December 1902 | Noorpur, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
28 July 1979 | 76 years, 217 days | 14 January 1980 | 170 days | 29 May 1987 | New Delhi | 7 years, 135 days | 84 years, 157 days |
| 6 | Rajiv Gandhi | 20 August 1944 | Bombay, Bombay Presidency |
31 October 1984 | 40 years, 72 days | 2 December 1989 | 5 years, 32 days | 21 May 1991 | Sriperumpudur, Tamil Nadu |
1 year, 170 days | 46 years, 274 days |
| 7 | Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 25 June 1931 | Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
2 December 1989 | 58 years, 160 days | 10 November 1990 | 343 days | 27 November 2008 | New Delhi | 17 years, 361 days | 77 years, 155 days |
| 8 | Chandra Shekhar | 1 July 1927 | Ibrahimpatti, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
10 November 1990 | 63 years, 132 days | 21 June 1991 | 223 days | 8 July 2007 | New Delhi | 16 years, 17 days | 80 years, 7 days |
| 9 | P. V. Narasimha Rao | 28 June 1921 | Narsampet, Hyderabad State |
21 June 1991 | 69 years, 358 days | 16 May 1996 | 4 years, 330 days | 23 December 2004 | New Delhi | 8 years, 221 days | 83 years, 178 days |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 25 December 1924 | Gwalior, Gwalior State |
16 May 1996 | 71 years, 143 days | 22 May 2004 | 6 years, 78 days | 16 August 2018 | New Delhi | 14 years, 86 days | 93 years, 234 days |
| 11 | H. D. Deve Gowda | 18 May 1933 | Haradanahalli, Kingdom of Mysore |
1 June 1996 | 63 years, 14 days | 21 April 1997 | 324 days | 27 years, 215 days | 91 years, 188 days | ||
| 12 | Inder Kumar Gujral | 4 December 1919 | Pari Derveza, Punjab Province |
21 April 1997 | 77 years, 138 days | 19 March 1998 | 332 days | 30 November 2012 | Gurgaon, Haryana | 14 years, 256 days | 92 years, 362 days |
| 13 | Manmohan Singh | 26 September 1932 | Gah, Punjab Province |
22 May 2004 | 71 years, 239 days | 26 May 2014 | 10 years, 4 days | 10 years, 180 days | 92 years, 57 days | ||
| 14 | Narendra Modi | 17 September 1950 | Vadnagar, Bombay State |
26 May 2014 | 63 years, 251 days | Incumbent | 10 years, 180 days | Incumbent | 74 years, 66 days | ||
| # |
Prime Minister | Date of birth | Place of birth | Start date of (first) term |
Age at beginning of (first) term |
End date of (final) term |
Total time in office |
Date of death | Place of death | Length of retirement | Lifespan |
Timeline of living prime ministers[edit]
This is a chronological list of all who served as the prime minister of India and were still living, at different periods in history. There have been 3 time periods when there was only one living prime minister, first with the inauguration of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 and most recently during the administration of Indira Gandhi following the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966.
There has been one time period when 7 living current or former prime ministers co-existed. This period was from the May 2004 appointment of Manmohan Singh to the December 2004 death of P. V. Narasimha Rao. If one includes future vice presidents as well as past and current vice presidents, there has been only one time period when all 14 different prime ministers co-existed. (see Statistics)
| Start date | End date | Start event | Duration | End event | Living PMs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 August 1947 | 27 May 1964 | Appointment of Jawaharlal Nehru | 16 years, 286 days | Death of Jawaharlal Nehru | 1 | Nehru |
| 9 June 1964 | 11 January 1966 | Appointment of Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1 year, 216 days | Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1 | Shastri |
| 24 January 1966 | 24 March 1977 | Appointment of Indira Gandhi | 11 years, 59 days | Appointment of Morarji Desai | 1 | I. Gandhi |
| 24 March 1977 | 28 July 1979 | Appointment of Morarji Desai | 2 years, 126 days | Appointment of Charan Singh | 2 | I. Gandhi Desai |
| 28 July 1979 | 31 October 1984 | Appointment of Charan Singh | 5 years, 95 days | Death of Indira Gandhi | 3 | I. Gandhi Desai C. Singh |
| 31 October 1984 | 29 May 1987 | Appointment of Rajiv Gandhi | 2 years, 210 days | Death of Charan Singh | 3 | Desai C. Singh R. Gandhi |
| 29 May 1987 | 2 December 1989 | Death of Charan Singh | 2 years, 187 days | Appointment of Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 2 | Desai R. Gandhi |
| 2 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 | Appointment of Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 343 days | Appointment of Chandra Shekhar | 3 | Desai R. Gandhi V.P. Singh |
| 10 November 1990 | 21 May 1991 | Appointment of Chandra Shekhar | 192 days | Death of Rajiv Gandhi | 4 | Desai R. Gandhi V.P. Singh Shekhar |
| 21 May 1991 | 21 June 1991 | Death of Rajiv Gandhi | 31 days | Appointment of P. V. Narasimha Rao | 3 | Desai V.P. Singh Shekhar |
| 21 June 1991 | 10 April 1995 | Appointment of P. V. Narasimha Rao | 3 years, 293 days | Death of Morarji Desai | 4 | Desai V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao |
| 10 April 1995 | 16 May 1996 | Death of Morarji Desai | 1 year, 36 days | Appointment of Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 3 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao |
| 16 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | Appointment of Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 days | Appointment of H. D. Deve Gowda | 4 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao Vajpayee |
| 1 June 1996 | 21 April 1997 | Appointment of H. D. Deve Gowda | 324 days | Appointment of Inder Kumar Gujral | 5 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao Vajpayee Gowda |
| 21 April 1997 | 22 May 2004 | Appointment of Inder Kumar Gujral | 7 years, 31 days | Appointment of Manmohan Singh | 6 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao Vajpayee Gowda Gujral |
| 22 May 2004 | 23 December 2004 | Appointment of Manmohan Singh | 215 days | Death of P. V. Narasimha Rao | 7 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Rao Vajpayee Gowda Gujral M. Singh |
| 23 December 2004 | 8 July 2007 | Death of P. V. Narasimha Rao | 2 years, 197 days | Death of Chandra Shekhar | 6 | V.P. Singh Shekhar Vajpayee Gowda Gujral M. Singh |
| 8 July 2007 | 27 November 2008 | Death of Chandra Shekhar | 1 year, 142 days | Death of Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 5 | V.P. Singh Vajpayee Gowda Gujral M. Singh |
| 27 November 2008 | 30 November 2012 | Death of Vishwanath Pratap Singh | 4 years, 3 days | Death of Inder Kumar Gujral | 4 | Vajpayee Gowda Gujral M. Singh |
| 30 November 2012 | 26 May 2014 | Death of Inder Kumar Gujral | 1 year, 177 days | Appointment of Narendra Modi | 3 | Vajpayee Gowda M. Singh |
| 26 May 2014 | 16 August 2018 | Appointment of Narendra Modi | 4 years, 82 days | Death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 4 | Vajpayee Gowda M. Singh Modi |
| 16 August 2018 | present | Death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 6 years, 98 days | present | 3 | Gowda M. Singh Modi |
Statistics[edit]
- There have been three persons who have been the only living prime minister: Jawaharlal Nehru (as the first, from 15 August 1947 to 27 May 1964), Lal Bahadur Shastri (from his appointment on 9 June 1964 to 11 January 1966), and Indira Gandhi (from her appointment on 24 January 1966 to 24 March 1977).
- During one period in the History of India, has there been 7 persons alive to have been prime minister. This period was from 22 May 2004 to 23 December 2004 (when Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandra Shekhar, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, H. D. Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral, and Manmohan Singh were alive.
- There have been 6 administrations during which a prime minister has not died, the most recent being the administration of Inder Kumar Gujral. This does not include the administrations of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Indira Gandhi (who were themselves the only prime ministers to die during their administrations).
- Conversely, only during the administration of Manmohan Singh has there been as many as four deaths during an administration.
- Because he was the first prime minister in addition to being the longest serving prime minister, and although he died in office in 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru holds the distinction of serving for the longest period without the death of a former prime minister during his term (16 years and 286 days). Atal Bihari Vajpayee who served for a total period of 6 years and 78 days holds the distinction of serving for the longest period during which no prime ministers died without dying in office himself.
- The longest period between deaths of prime ministers was the 18 years and 293 days between the deaths of Lal Bahadur Shastri on 11 January 1966 and Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984. The shortest was the 1 year and 142 days between the deaths of Chandra Shekhar on 8 July 2007 and Vishwanath Pratap Singh on 27 November 2008.
- If the longest period between deaths is to be exceeded, no prime minister must die before 19 September 2037 (the current oldest and second oldest surviving presidents, Manmohan Singh and H. D. Deve Gowda, would then be 105 and 104 years old respectively).
- The second longest period is the 9 years and 257 days between the deaths of Morarji Desai on 10 April 1995 and P. V. Narasimha Rao on 23 December 2004.
- Following his administrations' end in 1990, Vishwanath Pratap Singh lived to see a record 7 administrations prior to his death in November 2008. Morarji Desai and Chandra Shekhar follow with 6 administrations after their own administrations ended in 1979 and 1991 respectively, prior to their deaths in April 1995 and November 2007 respectively.
- If one includes future as well as past and current prime ministers, the record sits at 14:
- Between Narendra Modi's birth on 17 September 1950 and Jawaharlal Nehru's death on 27 May 1964, the following prime ministers were alive: Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandra Shekhar, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, H. D. Deve Gowda, I. K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh, Ram Nath Kovind, and Narendra Modi.
- Since the appointment of Morarji Desai on 24 March 1977 (a period of 47 years, 243 days), there have been at least two prime ministers living, and since the death of Chandra Shekhar on 8 July 2007 (a period of 17 years, 137 days), there have been no more than five prime ministers living.
Oldest living prime ministers of India[edit]
Not all prime ministers live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 11 deceased prime ministers, 7 eventually became the oldest of their time, while 4 did not. Morarji Desai became the oldest living prime minister when he was appointed in 1977 and remained so until his death in 1995, for a record 18 years and 17 days. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the oldest living prime minister when he was appointed in 1964, but he held this distinction for only 1 year and 216 days.
On two occasions the oldest living prime minister lost this distinction not by her or his death, but due to the appointment of a prime minister who was older. Indira Gandhi lost this distinction when Morarji Desai was appointed, and subsequently, P. V. Narasimha Rao lost this distinction when I. K. Gujral was appointed. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the oldest to acquire this distinction at the age of 87 years, and 341 days. Charan Singh, who was 84 years, and 157 days old when he died was the oldest prime minister to die without ever acquiring this distinction Vishwanath Pratap Singh who died on 27 November 2008 at the age of 77 years and 155 days was the most recent prime minister to die without ever acquiring this distinction.
| Prime Minister | Period when oldest living prime minister | Age | Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start date | End date | at start | at end | ||
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 15 August 1947 | 27 May 1964 | 57 years, 274 days | 74 years, 195 days | 16 years, 286 days |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 9 June 1964 | 11 January 1966 | 59 years, 251 days | 61 years, 101 days | 1 year, 216 days |
| Indira Gandhi | 24 January 1966 | 24 March 1977 | 48 years, 66 days | 59 years, 125 days | 11 years, 59 days |
| Morarji Desai | 24 March 1977 | 10 April 1995 | 81 years, 24 days | 99 years, 41 days | 18 years, 17 days |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | 10 April 1995 | 21 April 1997 | 73 years, 286 days | 75 years, 297 days | 2 years, 11 days |
| Inder Kumar Gujral | 21 April 1997 | 30 November 2012 | 77 years, 138 days | 92 years, 362 days | 15 years, 223 days |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 30 November 2012 | 16 August 2018 | 87 years, 341 days | 93 years, 234 days | 5 years, 259 days |
| Manmohan Singh | 16 August 2018 | – | 85 years, 324 days | – | 6 years, 98 days |
| Prime Minister | Start date | End date | Age at start | Age at end | Duration |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
| Prime Ministers |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Acting | ||
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