José Manuel Durão Barroso — Age, Birthday & Biography
Born: 23 March 1956 · Age: 70
How old is José Manuel Durão Barroso?
José Manuel Durão Barroso is 70 years old as of October 2026. He was born on 23 March 1956.
Quick facts
Date of birth23 March 1956
Age70
NationalityPortuguese
BirthplaceLisbon, Portugal
Editor's Take:
Barroso's career traces the path of a generation of Portuguese politicians who came of age as the dictatorship fell. He built his reputation first as a foreign-policy figure, helping shape the Angolan armistice of 1990 and backing East Timor's independence. His decade in Brussels placed him at the centre of treaty reform and the euro crisis. He became only the second person to win two terms as Commission president. Yet his legacy is also tied to questions of accountability. His move to Goldman Sachs International, soon after leaving office, fuelled debate about revolving doors in EU institutions.
Key Milestones
1980: Joined the Social Democratic Party, moving from academia into national politics
1992: Became Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs
2002: Became Prime Minister of Portugal
2009: Re-elected by the European Parliament for a second Commission term
2020: Named to chair GAVI's board, succeeding Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
José Manuel Durão Barroso (born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He served as the prime minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004 and as the president of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014.
Portuguese politician and law professor, born 1956
José Manuel Durão Barroso was born in Lisbon on 23 March 1956.
He was prime minister of Portugal from 2002, leaving the post in 2004 to take a European role.
He then led the European Commission from 2004 to 2014, winning a second term in 2009.
He studied law at the University of Lisbon and gained a master's in political science at the University of Geneva.
Career highlights
1985Government debut: Under-Secretary of State, Home Affairs
1990Bicesse Accords: Driving force behind Angolan armistice
2002Became prime minister: Took office on 6 April
2004Commission president: Chosen by the European Council
2016Goldman Sachs role: Prompted an EU ethics inquiry
Did you know?In his student days he helped lead the clandestine Maoist MRPP, explaining later that he joined it to counter a rival movement run by the Communist Party.
José Manuel Durão Barroso's birthday is March 23. He was born on March 23, 1956 in Lisbon, Portugal.
How old is José Manuel Durão Barroso?
José Manuel Durão Barroso is 70 years old, and turns 71 on his next birthday, March 23.
Who shares a birthday with José Manuel Durão Barroso?
Famous people who share José Manuel Durão Barroso's March 23 birthday include Akira Kurosawa, Pierre-Simon Laplace, Erich Fromm, Wernher von Braun and Joan Crawford.
