Australia vs New Zealand: Age of electoral democracy
Australia
125 years
in 2025
New Zealand
133 years
in 2025
Australia rank
2nd
New Zealand rank
1st
Age of electoral democracy over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 133 years against 125 years in Australia, a difference of 8 years.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
Across all 125 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 2nd and New Zealand ranks 1st of 144 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 years | 13 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 14.5 years | 22.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 24.5 years | 32.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 34.5 years | 42.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 44.5 years | 52.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 54.5 years | 62.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 64.5 years | 72.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 74.5 years | 82.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 84.5 years | 92.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 94.5 years | 102.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 104.5 years | 112.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 114.5 years | 122.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 122.5 years | 130.5 years | 8 years | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher age of electoral democracy, Australia or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 133 years against 125 years in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in age of electoral democracy between Australia and New Zealand?
- 8 years, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 125 years are reported by both, from 1901 to 2025.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for age of electoral democracy?
- Australia ranks 2nd and New Zealand ranks 1st of 144 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.