Age of democracy in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Age of democracy was 12 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Sierra Leone, 1961–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Sierra Leone is 12 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 500.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Sierra Leone peaked at 12 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1961.
Sierra Leone ranks 90th of 110 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1 years | — |
| 1962 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1963 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1964 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1965 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1966 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2007 | 1 years | -83.3% |
| 2008 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2009 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2016 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2017 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 12 years | +9.1% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 12 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.5 years, 1.3× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 12 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15 years, 80% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Sierra Leone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | -83.3% | 6 years | 1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 4 years | 12 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More social development data for Sierra Leone
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (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 0.001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in Sierra Leone?
- Age of democracy in Sierra Leone was 12 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 12 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1961.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for age of democracy?
- Sierra Leone ranks 90th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 500.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.