Age of democracy in Nigeria
Nigeria: Age of democracy was 4 years in 2018. ▼ Falling
Age of democracy in Nigeria, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Nigeria stood at 4 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.3% on the previous year and up 300.0% over five years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Nigeria peaked at 6 years in 1965 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1960.
That places Nigeria 104th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Age of democracy in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1 years | — |
| 1961 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1962 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1963 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1964 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1965 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1979 | 1 years | -83.3% |
| 1980 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1982 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1983 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2015 | 1 years | -80.0% |
| 2016 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +33.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 24% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 27% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1970s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 1 |
| 1980s | 3.5 years | 2 years | 5 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More social development data for Nigeria
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 123,848 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 478,150 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 478,150 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 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 Nigeria?
- Age of democracy in Nigeria was 4 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1965.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1960.
- How does Nigeria rank for age of democracy?
- Nigeria ranks 104th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this Nigeria 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
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About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.