Around the world, the picture gets even more complicated. If you look at the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies, at least three have age gaps with their partners that are at least as big as the Macrons’: Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Michael Terner of Brazil and President Trump of the United States. However, there are complexities here, too, some resulting from societal differences. For example, Zuma may top the above list, but he is also a polygamist. His wives are of varying ages, and the chart above includes only the youngest, Nompumelelo Ntuli.

Little is known about the current wife of Saudi King Salman, so she is not included, Meanwhile, the age of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s low-profile wife, Emanuela Mauro, is not publicly known. And Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is estranged from his wife, while Russian President Vladimir Putin split from his spouse in 2013 (although he has since been linked with a number of younger women).

However, it does seem clear that the leaders of the world’s largest economies do tend to favor younger partners. There is only one who joins Macron in choosing an older spouse: Angela Merkel. The German chancellor’s husband, Joachim Sauer, is five years older than her.