What is age of democracy in India?

Age of democracy in India was 52 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest age of democracy recorded in India?

The highest recorded value was 52 years in 2018.

What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in India?

The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1967.

How does India rank for age of democracy?

India ranks 24th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.

Is age of democracy rising or falling in India?

Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this India 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.

Age of democracy in India

Name: Age of democracy in India
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

India: Age of democracy was 52 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

52 years

Change on year

up 2.0%

World rank

24th

of 110 countries

All-time high

52 years

in 2018

All-time low

1 years

in 1967

Years of data

1967–2018

Age of democracy in India, 1967–2018

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

Analysis

India recorded 52 years for age of democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of democracy in India peaked at 52 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1967.

India ranks 24th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	2 years	1 years	3 years	3
1970s	8.5 years	4 years	13 years	10
1980s	18.5 years	14 years	23 years	10
1990s	28.5 years	24 years	33 years	10
2000s	38.5 years	34 years	43 years	10
2010s	48 years	44 years	52 years	9

Countries ranked near India

21 Jamaica 60 years compare
22 France 54 years compare
23 Botswana 53 years compare
25 Cyprus 51 years compare
25 Mauritius 51 years compare
27 Venezuela 48 years compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More social development data for India

Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 238,643 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 42,610 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal democracy 1 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.26 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.534 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.246 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.534 (2025)

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of democracy in India?: Age of democracy in India was 52 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of democracy recorded in India?: The highest recorded value was 52 years in 2018.
What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in India?: The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1967.
How does India rank for age of democracy?: India ranks 24th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
Is age of democracy rising or falling in India?: Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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 — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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: 07 August 2026

Number of consecutive years in a democracy.