Statizoid

Age of democracy in Finland

Finland: Age of democracy was 75 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
75 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
9th
of 110 countries
All-time high
75 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1917
Years of data
89
1917–2018

Age of democracy in Finland, 1917–2018

020406080191719672018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2018, age of democracy in Finland stood at 75 years. That is the highest value across all 89 years on record.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of democracy in Finland peaked at 75 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1917.

That places Finland 9th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Age of democracy in Finland, year by year

Year years Change
1917 1 years —
1918 2 years +100.0%
1919 3 years +50.0%
1920 4 years +33.3%
1921 5 years +25.0%
1922 6 years +20.0%
1923 7 years +16.7%
1924 8 years +14.3%
1925 9 years +12.5%
1926 10 years +11.1%
1927 11 years +10.0%
1928 12 years +9.1%
1929 13 years +8.3%
1930 14 years +7.7%
1944 1 years -92.9%
1945 2 years +100.0%
1946 3 years +50.0%
1947 4 years +33.3%
1948 5 years +25.0%
1949 6 years +20.0%
1950 7 years +16.7%
1951 8 years +14.3%
1952 9 years +12.5%
1953 10 years +11.1%
1954 11 years +10.0%
1955 12 years +9.1%
1956 13 years +8.3%
1957 14 years +7.7%
1958 15 years +7.1%
1959 16 years +6.7%
1960 17 years +6.2%
1961 18 years +5.9%
1962 19 years +5.6%
1963 20 years +5.3%
1964 21 years +5.0%
1965 22 years +4.8%
1966 23 years +4.5%
1967 24 years +4.3%
1968 25 years +4.2%
1969 26 years +4.0%
1970 27 years +3.8%
1971 28 years +3.7%
1972 29 years +3.6%
1973 30 years +3.4%
1974 31 years +3.3%
1975 32 years +3.2%
1976 33 years +3.1%
1977 34 years +3.0%
1978 35 years +2.9%
1979 36 years +2.9%
1980 37 years +2.8%
1981 38 years +2.7%
1982 39 years +2.6%
1983 40 years +2.6%
1984 41 years +2.5%
1985 42 years +2.4%
1986 43 years +2.4%
1987 44 years +2.3%
1988 45 years +2.3%
1989 46 years +2.2%
1990 47 years +2.2%
1991 48 years +2.1%
1992 49 years +2.1%
1993 50 years +2.0%
1994 51 years +2.0%
1995 52 years +2.0%
1996 53 years +1.9%
1997 54 years +1.9%
1998 55 years +1.9%
1999 56 years +1.8%
2000 57 years +1.8%
2001 58 years +1.8%
2002 59 years +1.7%
2003 60 years +1.7%
2004 61 years +1.7%
2005 62 years +1.6%
2006 63 years +1.6%
2007 64 years +1.6%
2008 65 years +1.6%
2009 66 years +1.5%
2010 67 years +1.5%
2011 68 years +1.5%
2012 69 years +1.5%
2013 70 years +1.4%
2014 71 years +1.4%
2015 72 years +1.4%
2016 73 years +1.4%
2017 74 years +1.4%
2018 75 years +1.4%

Finland compared with similar countries

  • Finland's 75 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 1.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Finland's 75 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 2.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of democracy in Finland 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.

YearChange FromTo
1918 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1945 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1944 -92.9% 14 years 1 years
1919 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1946 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1920 +33.3% 3 years 4 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 2 years 1 years 3 years 3
1920s 8.5 years 4 years 13 years 10
1930s 14 years 14 years 14 years 1
1940s 3.5 years 1 years 6 years 6
1950s 11.5 years 7 years 16 years 10
1960s 21.5 years 17 years 26 years 10
1970s 31.5 years 27 years 36 years 10
1980s 41.5 years 37 years 46 years 10
1990s 51.5 years 47 years 56 years 10
2000s 61.5 years 57 years 66 years 10
2010s 71 years 67 years 75 years 9

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 6 Australia 118 years compare
  2. 7 Sweden 105 years compare
  3. 8 Ireland 98 years compare
  4. 9 Belgium 75 years compare
  5. 11 Denmark 74 years compare
  6. 11 Luxembourg 74 years compare
  7. 11 Netherlands 74 years compare
  8. 11 Norway 74 years compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More social development data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of democracy in Finland?
Age of democracy in Finland was 75 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 75 years in 2018.
What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1917.
How does Finland rank for age of democracy?
Finland ranks 9th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
Is age of democracy rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Finland 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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Age of democracy in Finland. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-democracy-polity/finland/

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About this data

Indicator
Age of democracy
Unit
years
Source
Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 4,915 data points, 1801–2019
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in a democracy.