Age of democracy in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Age of democracy was 4 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Sri Lanka, 1948–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Sri Lanka stood at 4 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.3% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Sri Lanka peaked at 34 years in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1948.
That places Sri Lanka 104th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of democracy in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1 years | — |
| 1949 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1950 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1951 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1952 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1953 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1954 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1955 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1956 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1957 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1958 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1959 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1960 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1961 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1964 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 1 years | -97.1% |
| 2002 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2006 | 1 years | -50.0% |
| 2007 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2008 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2015 | 1 years | -66.7% |
| 2016 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +33.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 4 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 17% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | -97.1% | 34 years | 1 years |
| 1949 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2002 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2007 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2016 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2015 | -66.7% | 3 years | 1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.5 years | 23 years | 32 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.5 years | 33 years | 34 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.8 years | 1 years | 3 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 Sri Lanka?
- Age of democracy in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 34 years in 1981.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1948.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for age of democracy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 104th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.