Age of democracy in Italy
Italy: Age of democracy was 72 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Italy, 1947–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Italy recorded 72 years for age of democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 72 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Italy peaked at 72 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1947.
Italy ranks 16th 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.
Age of democracy in Italy, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 1 years | — |
| 1948 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1949 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1950 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1951 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1952 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1953 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1954 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1955 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1956 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1957 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1958 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1959 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1960 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1961 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1962 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1963 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1964 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1967 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1968 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1969 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 72 years | +1.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 72 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 1.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Italy's 72 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 2.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1949 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1950 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1951 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 1950s | 8.5 years | 4 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.5 years | 14 years | 23 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 28.5 years | 24 years | 33 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.5 years | 34 years | 43 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.5 years | 44 years | 53 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.5 years | 54 years | 63 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 68 years | 64 years | 72 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More social development data for Italy
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 192,914 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 266 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 100 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
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- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0033 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 Italy?
- Age of democracy in Italy was 72 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 72 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1947.
- How does Italy rank for age of democracy?
- Italy ranks 16th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 72 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.