Age of democracy in El Salvador
El Salvador: Age of democracy was 35 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in El Salvador, 1984–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 35 years for age of democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in El Salvador peaked at 35 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1984.
That places El Salvador 34th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 1 years | — |
| 1985 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1987 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1988 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1991 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1992 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1994 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1999 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 35 years | +2.9% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 35 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 1.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 35 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30 years, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in El Salvador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1986 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1987 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1990s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 31 years | 27 years | 35 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More social development data for El Salvador
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 182 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 68,182 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 68,182 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 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 El Salvador?
- Age of democracy in El Salvador was 35 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 35 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1984.
- How does El Salvador rank for age of democracy?
- El Salvador ranks 34th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.
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About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.