Age of democracy in Kenya
Kenya: Age of democracy was 17 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Kenya, 2002–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Kenya stood at 17 years. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and up 142.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Kenya peaked at 17 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2002.
Kenya ranks 77th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 years | — |
| 2003 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2004 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2014 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2015 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 17 years | +6.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 17 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 17 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.5 years | 1 years | 8 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 13 years | 9 years | 17 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 75 Ghana 18 years compare
- 75 Peru 18 years compare
- 77 Albania 17 years compare
- 77 East Timor 17 years compare
- 80 Bangladesh 16 years compare
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (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 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 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 Kenya?
- Age of democracy in Kenya was 17 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 17 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2002.
- How does Kenya rank for age of democracy?
- Kenya ranks 77th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 142.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.