Age of democracy in East Timor
East Timor: Age of democracy was 17 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in East Timor, 2002–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 17 years for age of democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 142.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in East Timor peaked at 17 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2002.
That places East Timor 77th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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 East Timor, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 years | — |
| 2003 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2004 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2012 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2014 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2015 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 17 years | +6.2% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 17 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.5 years, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 17 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20 years, 85% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in East Timor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.5 years | 1 years | 8 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 13 years | 9 years | 17 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More social development data for East Timor
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2015)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 15 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 15 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2015)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy in East Timor?
- Age of democracy in East Timor was 17 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 17 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2002.
- How does East Timor rank for age of democracy?
- East Timor ranks 77th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 142.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this East Timor 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 — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.