Portugal vs Spain: Age of liberal democracy
Portugal
46 years
in 2022
Spain
43 years
in 2025
Portugal rank
20th
Spain rank
22nd
Age of liberal democracy over time
- Portugal
- Spain
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 46 years against 43 years in Spain, a difference of 3 years.
That makes Portugal's figure about 1.1 times Spain's.
Across all 40 years both countries report, Portugal has been ahead every year.
Portugal ranks 20th and Spain ranks 22nd of 47 countries.
Portugal has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10 years | 4 years | 6 years | Portugal |
| 1990s | 18.5 years | 12.5 years | 6 years | Portugal |
| 2000s | 28.5 years | 22.5 years | 6 years | Portugal |
| 2010s | 38.5 years | 32.5 years | 6 years | Portugal |
| 2020s | 45 years | 39 years | 6 years | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher age of liberal democracy, Portugal or Spain?
- Portugal, at 46 years against 43 years in Spain as of 2022.
- What is the difference in age of liberal democracy between Portugal and Spain?
- 3 years, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Spain?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2022.
- How do Portugal and Spain rank globally for age of liberal democracy?
- Portugal ranks 20th and Spain ranks 22nd 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.