BRAZIL · POLITICS · LULA AGE
Key Facts
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
- His age today 81 years and 6 days on Monday 2 November 2026; born 27 October 1945.
- Next birthday He turns 82 on Wednesday 27 October 2027.
- Swearing-in Tuesday 5 January 2027, in 64 days, aged 81 years and 70 days.
- US yardstick Donald Trump is 80, so Lula is about seven and a half months older.
- This week Lula has promised a national address; no date was announced by Friday 30 October.
Lula, Brazil’s president, is 81 years old today, Monday 2 November 2026. He was born on 27 October 1945, so he turned 81 six days ago, on Tuesday 27 October.
That makes him 81 years and 6 days old, or 29,591 days. He won the runoff on Sunday 25 October and is sworn in for a fourth term on Tuesday 5 January 2027, 64 days from now.
Lula Age at Each Swearing-In
Lula was 57 when he first took office on Wednesday 1 January 2003, and 61 when his second term began on 1 January 2007. He was 77 at his third inauguration on Sunday 1 January 2023.
He will be 81 years and 70 days old when he takes the oath on Tuesday 5 January 2027. The date comes from a 2021 constitutional amendment, which moved the start of presidential terms from 1 January to 5 January.
He turns 85 on Sunday 27 October 2030, and the term ends on Sunday 5 January 2031. The Constitution of Brazil sets a minimum age of 35 for a presidential candidate and no maximum, so his age is not a legal bar.
Lula Age Compared With US Presidents
US President Donald Trump turned 80 on 14 June 2026, so Lula is about seven and a half months older. Trump was 78 at his inauguration in January 2025, and Joe Biden was also 78 in January 2021.
At 81 Lula will be three years older than either man when he takes the oath. In January 2031 he will be 85, three years older than Biden was when he left office in January 2025.
Lula’s Life by Age
Lula grew up poor in north-eastern Brazil and rose through the metalworkers’ union to the presidency. These are the milestones, with his age at each.
The list runs from childhood to a fourth term. Its last entry is still ahead of him, on Tuesday 5 January 2027.
Where and When Lula Was Born
Brazil’s Federal Senate, the upper house of Congress, gives Lula’s birth as 27 October 1945 in Garanhuns, a town in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco. At seven he moved with his family to São Paulo.
He became president of the metalworkers’ union of São Bernardo do Campo and Diadema, two industrial towns near São Paulo. In 1979 he led strikes in the ABC region against the military dictatorship, which made him known across Brazil.
What Lula Is Doing at 81 This Week
Lula said on Thursday 29 October that he intends to give a national address in the week of 2 November. The presidency had published no date, time or topic by Friday 30 October.
As of Friday 30 October he had named no minister for his new term, and his current ministers stay until Tuesday 5 January 2027. The choice of a finance minister, who runs economic policy, is the appointment markets watch most.
Brazilian markets are closed today for Finados, the All Souls’ Day holiday, and reopen on Tuesday 3 November. The central bank decides on interest rates on Wednesday 4 November, with the Selic benchmark rate at 13.75%.
How Lula Won a Fourth Term
Lula won the runoff on Sunday 25 October 2026 with 64,256,232 votes, or 51.79% of valid votes, according to the TSE, Brazil’s electoral court. His opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the conservative Liberal Party (PL), took 59,826,041 votes, or 48.21%.
The margin was 4,430,191 votes, or 3.58 percentage points. Lula was still 80 on election day, and Flávio Bolsonaro is 45, so the two finalists were 36 years apart.
In the first round on Sunday 4 October, Flávio Bolsonaro led with 47.04% of valid votes to Lula’s 45.15%. His father, former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro, lost to Lula in 2022, when Lula, then 77, won the runoff with 50.90%.
Read the full count on the first-round and runoff results page and the story of the 4.4 million-vote win. Lula also said he will address the nation, as covered in his plan to speak to Brazil.
From Factory Floor to Fourth Term
Lula was born into poverty and trained as a lathe operator in São Paulo state. He lost the little finger of his left hand in a factory accident in 1964.
Lula helped found the Workers’ Party in 1980 and was elected a federal deputy for São Paulo in 1986. He helped write the 1988 Constitution and lost the presidential runoff of 1989 to Fernando Collor.
He finished second in the first round in 1994 and 1998, both times behind Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and won the presidency in 2002. He left office at the end of 2010 and returned in 2023 after beating Jair Bolsonaro.
A federal court in Curitiba convicted him in 2017 in Car Wash, a corruption investigation, and he spent 580 days in prison. The Supreme Court annulled the convictions in 2021 on jurisdiction grounds, which cleared him to run again.
Lula’s Health at 81
Lula was treated for laryngeal cancer, a cancer of the voice box, in 2011 and had a hip replacement in September 2023. In December 2024 he had emergency brain surgery in São Paulo to drain bleeding caused by a fall.
He stayed in office through each episode. His age is the main reason his health draws attention.
What It Means for You
Brazil is Latin America’s largest economy, so a four-year term for a leader aged 81 matters to US investors and exporters. They watch his health, his cabinet picks and the state companies he controls, such as Petrobras, the oil giant.
If the president cannot serve, the vice president, currently Geraldo Alckmin, a former São Paulo governor, takes over under the Constitution. Follow the transition on the Brazil news hub, the Election Watch page and the report on Lula’s next cabinet.
Today’s markets and the week ahead are in our Morning Call for Monday 2 November. The Rio Times tracks how power is balanced around Lula in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Lula will serve the full term, which ends on Sunday 5 January 2031. Lula cannot run in 2030, because the Constitution bars a third consecutive term.
The date and topic of his promised national address have not been announced. The date of the ceremony at which the TSE hands him his election diploma, the document confirming a winner, has not been announced either.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Old Is Lula?
Lula is 81 years old as of Monday 2 November 2026, or 81 years and 6 days. He turned 81 on Tuesday 27 October, two days after winning Brazil’s runoff.
When Is Lula’s Birthday?
Lula was born on 27 October 1945 in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, according to the Federal Senate. He turns 82 on Wednesday 27 October 2027.
How Old Will Lula Be When His Term Ends?
He will be 81 when sworn in on 5 January 2027. He will be 85 when the four-year term ends on 5 January 2031.
Can Lula Run Again in 2030?
No, because the Constitution bars a third consecutive term. His fourth term is his second in a row.
How Does Lula’s Age Compare With Donald Trump?
Lula is about seven and a half months older than Trump, who turned 80 on 14 June 2026. Both Trump and Joe Biden were 78 at their latest inaugurations.
Sources: Senado Federal, Brazil’s Senate, candidate profiles of the 2026 presidential race, 4 October 2026; Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, electoral court, announcement of the final runoff result, 26 October 2026; Senado Federal, Radio Senado, presidential inauguration on 5 January 2027, 5 January 2026; Constitution of Brazil, Articles 14, 79 and 82, accessed 2 November 2026.
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: Brazil runoff: date, poll closing times and when results start. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.