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Robert Mugabe
President of Zimbabwe

Date of birth: Feb. 21, 1924

Years in power: 28 (prime minister 1980-1987 and president since 1987)

Rank on Failed States Index: No. 4 (out of 177 countries ranked), “critical”

Progeny: 2 sons, 1 daughter, and 1 deceased son. When asked about the number of grandchildren Mugabe has, a spokesman at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Washington, D.C., said, “I can’t say that on the phone, thank you,” and abruptly hung up. Mugabe’s oldest child is around 19 years old, so it’s unlikely he has grandchildren yet.*

Health status: In a country where life expectancy has plunged from 60 to 40 during his reign, Mugabe guards his health status fiercely. His wife says he gets up at 4 a.m. each day to exercise. In 2005, rumors circulated that he had died of a heart ailment, but his spokesman at the time said, “He is as fit as a teenager.” There has been at least one confirmed sign of frailty: In 2000, he collapsed in Malaysia and required stitches above an eye.

Next in line: In March 29’s presidential elections, Mugabe’s primary challengers are former Finance Minister Simba Makoni and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whose skull was fractured in a savage, politically motivated attack in March 2007.

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Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz al-Saud
King of Saudi Arabia

Date of birth: 1924 (exact day unknown)

Years in power: 12 (king since August 2005, but had been de facto ruler since December 1995 after his predecessor, King Fahd, was incapacitated by a stroke)

Rank on Failed States Index: No. 83, “borderline”

Progeny: At least 20 daughters and 15 sons. A spokesman at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not know how many grandchildren the king has. News archives don’t state any number. The king has had more than 30 wives, which could make counting his children, much less his grandchildren, a little complicated.

Health status: The king has had heart problems, but he still seems to get out and about. Last summer, he spent six weeks traveling abroad, including visits to Morocco, France, Poland, and Jordan. Of course, his entourage is thought to include what has been described as a “traveling clinic.”

Next in line: Crown Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz al-Saud

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Girija Prasad Koirala
Prime Minister of Nepal

Date of birth: Feb. 20, 1925

Years in power: 2, since April 2006 (but has served as prime minister 3 times previously: March 2000-July 2001, April 1998-May 1999, and May 1991-Nov. 1994)

Rank on Failed States Index: No. 21, “in danger”

Progeny: 1 daughter, 2 grandchildren

Health status: Koirala has suffered from breathing problems in the past and in recent interviews has had difficulty finishing his sentences. He fell ill in January with chest and throat infections and took nearly two weeks of bed rest. During that time, rumors circulated that he had died.

Next in line: Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, from Koirala’s Nepali Congress Party, has been mentioned as a potential successor. Elections for the Constituent Assembly, which will draft a new constitution, are scheduled for April 10. And with a new constitution, who knows what could happen.

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Abdoulaye Wade
President of Senegal

Date of birth: May 29, 1926

Years in power: 8, since April 2000 after a March 2000 election

Rank on Failed States Index: No. 117, “borderline”

Progeny: 1 son, 1 daughter, and 3 granddaughters

Health status: The octogenarian seems to be doing fine. His age has even been a selling point: He used his nickname, Gorgui, a Wolof word meaning “old man” that carries a respectful, endearing connotation, in campaign posters while running for reelection last year.

Next in line: The next round of presidential elections isn’t until 2012, so it’s a bit early to be naming names.

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Hosni Mubarak
President of Egypt

Date of birth: May 4, 1928

Years in power: 26, since former President Anwar Sadat’s assassination in October 1981

Rank on Failed States Index: No. 36, “in danger”

Progeny: 2 sons, 2 grandsons

Health status: Rumors that Mubarak was in declining health circulated widely in Egypt last summer, and four newspaper editors were convicted in September for making assertions about the president’s health. Government prosecutors accused one of the newspapers of scaring away hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign investment. Mubarak’s wife told a Dubai-based TV channel, though, that “everything is OK.”

Next in line: It’s widely thought that Mubarak is grooming his youngest son, Gamal, to be the next president, but many Egyptians fiercely oppose “pharaonic” succession.