Age of democracy in Germany
Germany: Age of democracy was 29 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Germany, 1919–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Germany stood at 29 years. That is the highest value across all 43 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 Germany peaked at 29 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1919.
Germany 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 1 years | — |
| 1920 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1921 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1922 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1923 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1924 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1925 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1926 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1927 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1928 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1929 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1930 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1931 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1932 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 1 years | -92.9% |
| 1991 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1997 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2001 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 29 years | +3.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 29 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 66% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Germany's 29 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Germany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -92.9% | 14 years | 1 years |
| 1920 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1991 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.5 years | 2 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 13 years | 12 years | 14 years | 3 |
| 1990s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 years | 11 years | 20 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 25 years | 21 years | 29 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More social development data for Germany
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.66 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 327 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 327 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0318 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 Germany?
- Age of democracy in Germany was 29 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 29 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1919.
- How does Germany rank for age of democracy?
- Germany ranks 43rd out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.