Age of democracy in Portugal
Portugal: Age of democracy was 43 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Portugal, 1911–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Portugal stood at 43 years. That is the highest value across all 58 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Portugal peaked at 43 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1911.
Portugal ranks 29th of 110 countries on this measure, 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 1 years | — |
| 1912 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1913 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1914 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1915 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1916 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1917 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1918 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1919 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1920 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1921 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1922 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1923 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1924 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1925 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1976 | 1 years | -93.3% |
| 1977 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1979 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1980 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1981 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1982 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1983 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1984 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1987 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1989 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 43 years | +2.4% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 43 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 98% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 43 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 1.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | -93.3% | 15 years | 1 years |
| 1912 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1977 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1913 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1978 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1920s | 12.5 years | 10 years | 15 years | 6 |
| 1970s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1980s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 39 years | 35 years | 43 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More social development data for Portugal
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 70,349 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0065 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 Portugal?
- Age of democracy in Portugal was 43 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 43 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1911.
- How does Portugal rank for age of democracy?
- Portugal ranks 29th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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 — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.