Statizoid

Age of democracy in New Zealand

New Zealand: Age of democracy was 142 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
142 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
3rd
of 110 countries
All-time high
142 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1857
Years of data
161
1857–2018

Age of democracy in New Zealand, 1857–2018

050100150185719372018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for age of democracy in New Zealand is 142 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 161 years on record.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of democracy in New Zealand peaked at 142 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1857.

That places New Zealand 3rd 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 New Zealand, year by year

Year years Change
1857 1 years —
1858 2 years +100.0%
1859 3 years +50.0%
1860 4 years +33.3%
1861 5 years +25.0%
1862 6 years +20.0%
1863 7 years +16.7%
1864 8 years +14.3%
1865 9 years +12.5%
1866 10 years +11.1%
1867 11 years +10.0%
1868 12 years +9.1%
1869 13 years +8.3%
1870 14 years +7.7%
1871 15 years +7.1%
1872 16 years +6.7%
1873 17 years +6.2%
1874 18 years +5.9%
1875 19 years +5.6%
1877 1 years -94.7%
1878 2 years +100.0%
1879 3 years +50.0%
1880 4 years +33.3%
1881 5 years +25.0%
1882 6 years +20.0%
1883 7 years +16.7%
1884 8 years +14.3%
1885 9 years +12.5%
1886 10 years +11.1%
1887 11 years +10.0%
1888 12 years +9.1%
1889 13 years +8.3%
1890 14 years +7.7%
1891 15 years +7.1%
1892 16 years +6.7%
1893 17 years +6.2%
1894 18 years +5.9%
1895 19 years +5.6%
1896 20 years +5.3%
1897 21 years +5.0%
1898 22 years +4.8%
1899 23 years +4.5%
1900 24 years +4.3%
1901 25 years +4.2%
1902 26 years +4.0%
1903 27 years +3.8%
1904 28 years +3.7%
1905 29 years +3.6%
1906 30 years +3.4%
1907 31 years +3.3%
1908 32 years +3.2%
1909 33 years +3.1%
1910 34 years +3.0%
1911 35 years +2.9%
1912 36 years +2.9%
1913 37 years +2.8%
1914 38 years +2.7%
1915 39 years +2.6%
1916 40 years +2.6%
1917 41 years +2.5%
1918 42 years +2.4%
1919 43 years +2.4%
1920 44 years +2.3%
1921 45 years +2.3%
1922 46 years +2.2%
1923 47 years +2.2%
1924 48 years +2.1%
1925 49 years +2.1%
1926 50 years +2.0%
1927 51 years +2.0%
1928 52 years +2.0%
1929 53 years +1.9%
1930 54 years +1.9%
1931 55 years +1.9%
1932 56 years +1.8%
1933 57 years +1.8%
1934 58 years +1.8%
1935 59 years +1.7%
1936 60 years +1.7%
1937 61 years +1.7%
1938 62 years +1.6%
1939 63 years +1.6%
1940 64 years +1.6%
1941 65 years +1.6%
1942 66 years +1.5%
1943 67 years +1.5%
1944 68 years +1.5%
1945 69 years +1.5%
1946 70 years +1.4%
1947 71 years +1.4%
1948 72 years +1.4%
1949 73 years +1.4%
1950 74 years +1.4%
1951 75 years +1.4%
1952 76 years +1.3%
1953 77 years +1.3%
1954 78 years +1.3%
1955 79 years +1.3%
1956 80 years +1.3%
1957 81 years +1.2%
1958 82 years +1.2%
1959 83 years +1.2%
1960 84 years +1.2%
1961 85 years +1.2%
1962 86 years +1.2%
1963 87 years +1.2%
1964 88 years +1.1%
1965 89 years +1.1%
1966 90 years +1.1%
1967 91 years +1.1%
1968 92 years +1.1%
1969 93 years +1.1%
1970 94 years +1.1%
1971 95 years +1.1%
1972 96 years +1.1%
1973 97 years +1.0%
1974 98 years +1.0%
1975 99 years +1.0%
1976 100 years +1.0%
1977 101 years +1.0%
1978 102 years +1.0%
1979 103 years +1.0%
1980 104 years +1.0%
1981 105 years +1.0%
1982 106 years +1.0%
1983 107 years +0.9%
1984 108 years +0.9%
1985 109 years +0.9%
1986 110 years +0.9%
1987 111 years +0.9%
1988 112 years +0.9%
1989 113 years +0.9%
1990 114 years +0.9%
1991 115 years +0.9%
1992 116 years +0.9%
1993 117 years +0.9%
1994 118 years +0.9%
1995 119 years +0.8%
1996 120 years +0.8%
1997 121 years +0.8%
1998 122 years +0.8%
1999 123 years +0.8%
2000 124 years +0.8%
2001 125 years +0.8%
2002 126 years +0.8%
2003 127 years +0.8%
2004 128 years +0.8%
2005 129 years +0.8%
2006 130 years +0.8%
2007 131 years +0.8%
2008 132 years +0.8%
2009 133 years +0.8%
2010 134 years +0.8%
2011 135 years +0.7%
2012 136 years +0.7%
2013 137 years +0.7%
2014 138 years +0.7%
2015 139 years +0.7%
2016 140 years +0.7%
2017 141 years +0.7%
2018 142 years +0.7%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 142 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 3.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 142 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20 years, 7.1× the median. (13 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of democracy in New Zealand 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.

YearChange FromTo
1858 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1878 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1877 -94.7% 19 years 1 years
1859 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1879 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1860 +33.3% 3 years 4 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 2 years 1 years 3 years 3
1860s 8.5 years 4 years 13 years 10
1870s 11.67 years 1 years 19 years 9
1880s 8.5 years 4 years 13 years 10
1890s 18.5 years 14 years 23 years 10
1900s 28.5 years 24 years 33 years 10
1910s 38.5 years 34 years 43 years 10
1920s 48.5 years 44 years 53 years 10
1930s 58.5 years 54 years 63 years 10
1940s 68.5 years 64 years 73 years 10
1950s 78.5 years 74 years 83 years 10
1960s 88.5 years 84 years 93 years 10
1970s 98.5 years 94 years 103 years 10
1980s 108.5 years 104 years 113 years 10
1990s 118.5 years 114 years 123 years 10
2000s 128.5 years 124 years 133 years 10
2010s 138 years 134 years 142 years 9

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 1 Switzerland 171 years compare
  2. 2 United States 155 years compare
  3. 4 United Kingdom 139 years compare
  4. 5 Canada 131 years compare
  5. 6 Australia 118 years compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More social development data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of democracy in New Zealand?
Age of democracy in New Zealand was 142 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of democracy recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 142 years in 2018.
What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1857.
How does New Zealand rank for age of democracy?
New Zealand ranks 3rd out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
Is age of democracy rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand 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.

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Age of democracy in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-democracy-polity/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Age of democracy
Unit
years
Source
Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 4,915 data points, 1801–2019
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in a democracy.