Age of democracy in Myanmar
Myanmar: Age of democracy was 3 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Myanmar, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Myanmar recorded 3 years for age of democracy in 2018.
That represents a change of up 50.0% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Myanmar peaked at 10 years in 1957 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1948.
Myanmar ranks 106th of 110 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1 years | — |
| 1949 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1950 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1951 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1952 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1953 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1954 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1955 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1956 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1957 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 1 years | -90.0% |
| 2017 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2018 | 3 years | +50.0% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 3 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 18% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 3 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20 years, 15% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Myanmar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -90.0% | 10 years | 1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 6.5 years | 3 years | 10 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More social development data for Myanmar
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.52 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.52 million (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 15.27 % change on previous year (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 Myanmar?
- Age of democracy in Myanmar was 3 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 10 years in 1957.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1948.
- How does Myanmar rank for age of democracy?
- Myanmar ranks 106th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this Myanmar 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 — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.