Age of democracy in Botswana
Botswana: Age of democracy was 53 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Botswana, 1966–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Botswana is 53 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Botswana peaked at 53 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1966.
Botswana ranks 23rd of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Botswana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 1 years | — |
| 1967 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1968 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1969 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1971 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1974 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1976 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1977 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1981 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 53 years | +1.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 53 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 2.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 53 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 3.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1968 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1969 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1970 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1970s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.5 years | 35 years | 44 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 49 years | 45 years | 53 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More social development data for Botswana
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 847 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in Botswana?
- Age of democracy in Botswana was 53 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 53 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1966.
- How does Botswana rank for age of democracy?
- Botswana ranks 23rd out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.