Age of democracy in Hungary
Hungary: Age of democracy was 29 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Hungary, 1990–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Hungary is 29 years, measured in 2018. 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 Hungary peaked at 29 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1990.
Hungary 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 Hungary, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1 years | — |
| 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% |
Hungary compared with similar countries
- Hungary's 29 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 66% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Hungary'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 Hungary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1992 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1993 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Hungary
More social development data for Hungary
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 71,332 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,055 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,055 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0075 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 Hungary?
- Age of democracy in Hungary 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 Hungary?
- The highest recorded value was 29 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Hungary?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1990.
- How does Hungary rank for age of democracy?
- Hungary ranks 43rd out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Hungary?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Hungary 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.