Age of democracy in Ireland
Ireland: Age of democracy was 98 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
98 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
8th
of 110 countries
All-time high
98 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1921
Years of data
98
1921–2018
Age of democracy in Ireland, 1921–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Ireland is 98 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 98 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Ireland peaked at 98 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1921.
That places Ireland 8th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1 years | — |
| 1922 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1923 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1924 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1925 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1926 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1927 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1928 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1929 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1930 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1931 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1932 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1933 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1934 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1935 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1936 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1937 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1938 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1939 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1940 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1941 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1942 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1943 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1944 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1945 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1946 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1947 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1948 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1949 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1950 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1951 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1952 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1953 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1954 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1955 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1956 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1957 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1958 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1959 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1960 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1961 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 82 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 83 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 84 years | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 85 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 86 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 87 years | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 88 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 89 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 90 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 91 years | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 92 years | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 93 years | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 94 years | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 95 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 96 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 97 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 98 years | +1.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 98 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 2.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 98 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 3.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1923 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1924 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1925 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1930s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 34.5 years | 30 years | 39 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 44.5 years | 40 years | 49 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 54.5 years | 50 years | 59 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.5 years | 60 years | 69 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 74.5 years | 70 years | 79 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.5 years | 80 years | 89 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 94 years | 90 years | 98 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More social development data for Ireland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 69 (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 69 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0251 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 Ireland?
- Age of democracy in Ireland was 98 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 98 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1921.
- How does Ireland rank for age of democracy?
- Ireland ranks 8th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 98 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.