Japan vs United States: Age of liberal democracy
Japan
74 years
in 2025
United States
56 years
in 2024
Japan rank
15th
United States rank
18th
Age of liberal democracy over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
Japan currently reports 74 years against 56 years in United States, a difference of 18 years.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.3 times United States's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 15th and United States ranks 18th of 47 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18 years | 1 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 1970s | 23.5 years | 6.5 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 1980s | 33.5 years | 16.5 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 1990s | 43.5 years | 26.5 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 2000s | 53.5 years | 36.5 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 2010s | 63.5 years | 46.5 years | 17 years | Japan |
| 2020s | 71 years | 54 years | 17 years | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher age of liberal democracy, Japan or United States?
- Japan, at 74 years against 56 years in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in age of liberal democracy between Japan and United States?
- 18 years, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1969 to 2024.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for age of liberal democracy?
- Japan ranks 15th and United States ranks 18th 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.