Age of democracy in Netherlands
Netherlands: Age of democracy was 74 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
74 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
11th
of 110 countries
All-time high
74 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1917
Years of data
97
1917–2018
Age of democracy in Netherlands, 1917–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Netherlands is 74 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 97 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Netherlands peaked at 74 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1917.
That places Netherlands 11th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 1 years | — |
| 1918 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1919 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1920 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1921 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1922 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1923 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1924 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1925 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1926 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1927 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1928 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1929 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1930 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1931 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1932 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1933 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1934 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1935 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1936 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1937 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1938 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1939 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1945 | 1 years | -95.7% |
| 1946 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1947 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1948 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1949 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1950 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1951 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1952 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1953 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1954 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1955 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1956 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1957 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1958 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1959 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1960 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1961 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1962 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1963 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1964 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1965 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1966 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1967 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1970 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1971 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 74 years | +1.4% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 74 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 1.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 74 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 2.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Netherlands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | -95.7% | 23 years | 1 years |
| 1918 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1946 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1919 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1947 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1920 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 1920s | 8.5 years | 4 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 18.5 years | 14 years | 23 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 1950s | 10.5 years | 6 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 20.5 years | 16 years | 25 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.5 years | 26 years | 35 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.5 years | 36 years | 45 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.5 years | 46 years | 55 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.5 years | 56 years | 65 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 70 years | 66 years | 74 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More social development data for Netherlands
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- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in Netherlands?
- Age of democracy in Netherlands was 74 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 74 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1917.
- How does Netherlands rank for age of democracy?
- Netherlands ranks 11th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 — 97 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.