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Born: 29 October 1938 · Age: 87
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is 87 years old as of October 2026. She was born on 29 October 1938.
Harvard-trained economist who became President of Liberia, Africa's first elected female head of state, and a Nobel Peace laureate
Did you know?She was a joint recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for the safety of women.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was Africa's first elected woman head of state. She studied economics at Harvard and worked for the World Bank and the UN. She was jailed and exiled for criticising Liberia's military rulers. After years of civil war, she won the presidency in 2005. She rebuilt the economy and cut the country's huge debt. She shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Her record also drew criticism at home.
Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (née Johnson; born 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Profile
Liberian president, born 1938
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born in Monrovia on 29 October 1938.
She studied at Harvard.
She was elected president of Liberia in 2005.
She shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.
Career highlights
Did you know?She is nicknamed the "Iron Lady" of Liberia.
Questions people ask
1897–1945Photo: Heinrich Hoffmann · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
b. 1950Photo: Salih Turan (VOA) · Public domain
b. 1971Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0
b. 1982Photo: Original photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office , used under CC BY 4.0. Cropped by HurricaneEdgar . · CC BY 4.0
b. 1970Photo: Paul Blank · CC BY 2.5
1879–1969Photo: Unknown · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
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Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.
Last reviewed: October 2026
