Age of democracy in Gambia
Gambia: Age of democracy was 29 years in 1993. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Gambia, 1965–1993
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Gambia is 29 years, measured in 1993. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 52.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Gambia peaked at 29 years in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1965.
Gambia ranks 43rd of 110 countries on this measure, 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 Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1 years | — |
| 1966 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1967 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1968 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1969 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1970 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1971 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1979 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1981 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 29 years | +3.6% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 29 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.5 years, 3.1× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 29 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Gambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1967 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1968 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 1970s | 10.5 years | 6 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5 years | 16 years | 25 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5 years | 26 years | 29 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More social development data for Gambia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,108 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0024 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0015 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 Gambia?
- Age of democracy in Gambia was 29 years in 1993, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 29 years in 1993.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1965.
- How does Gambia rank for age of democracy?
- Gambia ranks 43rd out of 110 countries with data for 1993.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia 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 — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.