Age of democracy in Mexico
Mexico: Age of democracy was 22 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Mexico, 1997–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Mexico is 22 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 83.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Mexico peaked at 22 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1997.
That places Mexico 69th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 years | — |
| 1998 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1999 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2004 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 22 years | +4.8% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 22 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 92% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 22 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30 years, 73% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Mexico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1999 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 8.5 years | 4 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 18 years | 14 years | 22 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More social development data for Mexico
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 152,002 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,307 (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 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,307 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 Mexico?
- Age of democracy in Mexico was 22 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 22 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1997.
- How does Mexico rank for age of democracy?
- Mexico ranks 69th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.