Statizoid

Age of democracy in Switzerland

Switzerland: Age of democracy was 171 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
171 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
1st
of 110 countries
All-time high
171 years
in 2018
All-time low
1 years
in 1848
Years of data
171
1848–2018

Age of democracy in Switzerland, 1848–2018

050100150184819332018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for age of democracy in Switzerland is 171 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 171 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of democracy in Switzerland peaked at 171 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1848.

That places Switzerland 1st 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 Switzerland, year by year

Year years Change
1848 1 years —
1849 2 years +100.0%
1850 3 years +50.0%
1851 4 years +33.3%
1852 5 years +25.0%
1853 6 years +20.0%
1854 7 years +16.7%
1855 8 years +14.3%
1856 9 years +12.5%
1857 10 years +11.1%
1858 11 years +10.0%
1859 12 years +9.1%
1860 13 years +8.3%
1861 14 years +7.7%
1862 15 years +7.1%
1863 16 years +6.7%
1864 17 years +6.2%
1865 18 years +5.9%
1866 19 years +5.6%
1867 20 years +5.3%
1868 21 years +5.0%
1869 22 years +4.8%
1870 23 years +4.5%
1871 24 years +4.3%
1872 25 years +4.2%
1873 26 years +4.0%
1874 27 years +3.8%
1875 28 years +3.7%
1876 29 years +3.6%
1877 30 years +3.4%
1878 31 years +3.3%
1879 32 years +3.2%
1880 33 years +3.1%
1881 34 years +3.0%
1882 35 years +2.9%
1883 36 years +2.9%
1884 37 years +2.8%
1885 38 years +2.7%
1886 39 years +2.6%
1887 40 years +2.6%
1888 41 years +2.5%
1889 42 years +2.4%
1890 43 years +2.4%
1891 44 years +2.3%
1892 45 years +2.3%
1893 46 years +2.2%
1894 47 years +2.2%
1895 48 years +2.1%
1896 49 years +2.1%
1897 50 years +2.0%
1898 51 years +2.0%
1899 52 years +2.0%
1900 53 years +1.9%
1901 54 years +1.9%
1902 55 years +1.9%
1903 56 years +1.8%
1904 57 years +1.8%
1905 58 years +1.8%
1906 59 years +1.7%
1907 60 years +1.7%
1908 61 years +1.7%
1909 62 years +1.6%
1910 63 years +1.6%
1911 64 years +1.6%
1912 65 years +1.6%
1913 66 years +1.5%
1914 67 years +1.5%
1915 68 years +1.5%
1916 69 years +1.5%
1917 70 years +1.4%
1918 71 years +1.4%
1919 72 years +1.4%
1920 73 years +1.4%
1921 74 years +1.4%
1922 75 years +1.4%
1923 76 years +1.3%
1924 77 years +1.3%
1925 78 years +1.3%
1926 79 years +1.3%
1927 80 years +1.3%
1928 81 years +1.2%
1929 82 years +1.2%
1930 83 years +1.2%
1931 84 years +1.2%
1932 85 years +1.2%
1933 86 years +1.2%
1934 87 years +1.2%
1935 88 years +1.1%
1936 89 years +1.1%
1937 90 years +1.1%
1938 91 years +1.1%
1939 92 years +1.1%
1940 93 years +1.1%
1941 94 years +1.1%
1942 95 years +1.1%
1943 96 years +1.1%
1944 97 years +1.0%
1945 98 years +1.0%
1946 99 years +1.0%
1947 100 years +1.0%
1948 101 years +1.0%
1949 102 years +1.0%
1950 103 years +1.0%
1951 104 years +1.0%
1952 105 years +1.0%
1953 106 years +1.0%
1954 107 years +0.9%
1955 108 years +0.9%
1956 109 years +0.9%
1957 110 years +0.9%
1958 111 years +0.9%
1959 112 years +0.9%
1960 113 years +0.9%
1961 114 years +0.9%
1962 115 years +0.9%
1963 116 years +0.9%
1964 117 years +0.9%
1965 118 years +0.9%
1966 119 years +0.8%
1967 120 years +0.8%
1968 121 years +0.8%
1969 122 years +0.8%
1970 123 years +0.8%
1971 124 years +0.8%
1972 125 years +0.8%
1973 126 years +0.8%
1974 127 years +0.8%
1975 128 years +0.8%
1976 129 years +0.8%
1977 130 years +0.8%
1978 131 years +0.8%
1979 132 years +0.8%
1980 133 years +0.8%
1981 134 years +0.8%
1982 135 years +0.7%
1983 136 years +0.7%
1984 137 years +0.7%
1985 138 years +0.7%
1986 139 years +0.7%
1987 140 years +0.7%
1988 141 years +0.7%
1989 142 years +0.7%
1990 143 years +0.7%
1991 144 years +0.7%
1992 145 years +0.7%
1993 146 years +0.7%
1994 147 years +0.7%
1995 148 years +0.7%
1996 149 years +0.7%
1997 150 years +0.7%
1998 151 years +0.7%
1999 152 years +0.7%
2000 153 years +0.7%
2001 154 years +0.7%
2002 155 years +0.6%
2003 156 years +0.6%
2004 157 years +0.6%
2005 158 years +0.6%
2006 159 years +0.6%
2007 160 years +0.6%
2008 161 years +0.6%
2009 162 years +0.6%
2010 163 years +0.6%
2011 164 years +0.6%
2012 165 years +0.6%
2013 166 years +0.6%
2014 167 years +0.6%
2015 168 years +0.6%
2016 169 years +0.6%
2017 170 years +0.6%
2018 171 years +0.6%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 171 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 3.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 171 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 5.9× the median. (40 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of democracy in Switzerland 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.

YearChange FromTo
1849 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1850 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1851 +33.3% 3 years 4 years
1852 +25.0% 4 years 5 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1840s 1.5 years 1 years 2 years 2
1850s 7.5 years 3 years 12 years 10
1860s 17.5 years 13 years 22 years 10
1870s 27.5 years 23 years 32 years 10
1880s 37.5 years 33 years 42 years 10
1890s 47.5 years 43 years 52 years 10
1900s 57.5 years 53 years 62 years 10
1910s 67.5 years 63 years 72 years 10
1920s 77.5 years 73 years 82 years 10
1930s 87.5 years 83 years 92 years 10
1940s 97.5 years 93 years 102 years 10
1950s 107.5 years 103 years 112 years 10
1960s 117.5 years 113 years 122 years 10
1970s 127.5 years 123 years 132 years 10
1980s 137.5 years 133 years 142 years 10
1990s 147.5 years 143 years 152 years 10
2000s 157.5 years 153 years 162 years 10
2010s 167 years 163 years 171 years 9

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 2 United States 155 years compare
  2. 3 New Zealand 142 years compare
  3. 4 United Kingdom 139 years compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More social development data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of democracy in Switzerland?
Age of democracy in Switzerland was 171 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 171 years in 2018.
What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1848.
How does Switzerland rank for age of democracy?
Switzerland ranks 1st out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
Is age of democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland 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.

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Age of democracy in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-democracy-polity/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Age of democracy
Unit
years
Source
Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 4,915 data points, 1801–2019
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in a democracy.