Age of democracy in Namibia
Namibia: Age of democracy was 29 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Namibia, 1990–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 29 years for age of democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 52.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Namibia peaked at 29 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1990.
That places Namibia 43rd 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 Namibia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1 years | — |
| 1991 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1997 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2001 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 29 years | +3.6% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 29 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 1.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 29 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Namibia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1992 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1993 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 years | 11 years | 20 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 25 years | 21 years | 29 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More social development data for Namibia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,470 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 685 (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 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 685 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0018 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 Namibia?
- Age of democracy in Namibia was 29 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 29 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1990.
- How does Namibia rank for age of democracy?
- Namibia ranks 43rd out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia 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 — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.