Who Was Alive

Were Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 52 years, from 1961 to 2013.

Nelson Mandela was 43 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 52 when Nelson Mandela died, aged 95.

Nelson Mandela

President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist

Born 18 July 1918 · died 5 December 2013, aged 95

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Donald Trump
  6. Vladimir Putin
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Barack Obama
Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.