France vs Japan: Age of liberal democracy
France
79 years
in 2025
Japan
74 years
in 2025
France rank
13th
Japan rank
15th
Age of liberal democracy over time
- France
- Japan
How they compare
France currently reports 79 years against 74 years in Japan, a difference of 5 years.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
Across all 74 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.
France ranks 13th and Japan ranks 15th of 47 countries.
France has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.5 years | 4.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 1960s | 18.5 years | 13.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 1970s | 28.5 years | 23.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 1980s | 38.5 years | 33.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 1990s | 48.5 years | 43.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 2000s | 58.5 years | 53.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 2010s | 68.5 years | 63.5 years | 5 years | France |
| 2020s | 76.5 years | 71.5 years | 5 years | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher age of liberal democracy, France or Japan?
- France, at 79 years against 74 years in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in age of liberal democracy between France and Japan?
- 5 years, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1952 to 2025.
- How do France and Japan rank globally for age of liberal democracy?
- France ranks 13th and Japan ranks 15th of 47 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Age of liberal 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.