At 39, Rob Jetten set to be Netherlands’ youngest prime minister

Rob Jetten, who will turn 39 in March, would become the youngest person ever to serve as prime minister of the Netherlands if he assumes office.

Currently, Ruud Lubbers holds the record as the youngest Dutch prime minister. When he was first sworn in in 1982, he was 43 years and 181 days old. Following Lubbers, Mark Rutte and Isaäc Dignus Fransen van de Putte also became prime ministers at the age of 43.

The oldest Dutch prime minister on record was Johan Thorbecke, who was sworn in for the third time in 1871, just 10 days before his 73rd birthday. Thorbecke did not complete that term; he died on June 4, 1872, becoming the only Dutch prime minister to die in office.

Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof ranks as the seventh-oldest prime minister in Dutch history. He was 67 years old when he assumed office.

The average age of Dutch prime ministers is 55.1 years, with most serving since World War II being younger than the average.