Which has higher age of democracy, Belgium or Ireland?

Ireland, at 98 years against 75 years in Belgium as of 2018.

How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Ireland?

94 years are reported by both, from 1921 to 2018.

Where does this data come from?

Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Age of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Belgium vs Ireland: Age of democracy

Belgium

75 years

in 2018

Ireland

98 years

in 2018

Belgium rank

9th

Ireland rank

8th

Age of democracy over time

Belgium
Ireland

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 98 years against 75 years in Belgium, a difference of 23 years.

That makes Ireland's figure about 1.3 times Belgium's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 94 shared years of data; in 1921 it was Belgium ahead.

Belgium ranks 9th and Ireland ranks 8th of 110 countries.

Across the 10 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 2 and Ireland in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Belgium	Ireland	Difference	Ahead
1920s	11 years	5 years	6 years	Belgium
1930s	20.5 years	14.5 years	6 years	Belgium
1940s	3.5 years	26.5 years	23 years	Ireland
1950s	11.5 years	34.5 years	23 years	Ireland
1960s	21.5 years	44.5 years	23 years	Ireland
1970s	31.5 years	54.5 years	23 years	Ireland
1980s	41.5 years	64.5 years	23 years	Ireland
1990s	51.5 years	74.5 years	23 years	Ireland
2000s	61.5 years	84.5 years	23 years	Ireland
2010s	71 years	94 years	23 years	Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher age of democracy, Belgium or Ireland?: Ireland, at 98 years against 75 years in Belgium as of 2018.
What is the difference in age of democracy between Belgium and Ireland?: 23 years, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Ireland?: 94 years are reported by both, from 1921 to 2018.
How do Belgium and Ireland rank globally for age of democracy?: Belgium ranks 9th and Ireland ranks 8th of 110 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Age of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Belgium vs Ireland: Age of democracy. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/age-of-democracy-polity/belgium/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator: Age of democracy
Unit: years
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 110 places, 4,915 data points, 1801–2019
Last refreshed: 30 October 2026

Number of consecutive years in a democracy.