Age of democracy in Sweden
Sweden: Age of democracy was 105 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
105 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
7th
of 110 countries
All-time high
105 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1914
Years of data
105
1914–2018
Age of democracy in Sweden, 1914–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Sweden is 105 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 105 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Sweden peaked at 105 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1914.
That places Sweden 7th 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | 1 years | — |
| 1915 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1916 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1917 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1918 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1919 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1920 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1921 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1922 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1923 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1924 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1925 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1926 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1927 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1928 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1929 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1930 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1931 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1932 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1933 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1934 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1935 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1936 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1937 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1938 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1939 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1940 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1941 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1942 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1943 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1944 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1945 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1946 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1947 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1948 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1949 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1950 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1951 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1952 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1953 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1954 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1955 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1956 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1958 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1959 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1961 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1962 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 82 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 83 years | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 84 years | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 85 years | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 86 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 87 years | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 88 years | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 89 years | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 90 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 91 years | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 92 years | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 93 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 94 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 95 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 96 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 97 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 98 years | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 99 years | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 100 years | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 101 years | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 102 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 103 years | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 104 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 105 years | +1.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 105 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 2.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 105 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 3.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1916 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1917 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1918 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1920s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 31.5 years | 27 years | 36 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 41.5 years | 37 years | 46 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 51.5 years | 47 years | 56 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 61.5 years | 57 years | 66 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.5 years | 67 years | 76 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.5 years | 77 years | 86 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.5 years | 87 years | 96 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 101 years | 97 years | 105 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (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 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 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 Sweden?
- Age of democracy in Sweden was 105 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 105 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1914.
- How does Sweden rank for age of democracy?
- Sweden ranks 7th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 105 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.