Age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago: Age of democracy was 38 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago, 1981–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago stood at 38 years. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 35.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago peaked at 38 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1981.
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 31st of 110 countries on this measure, 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 Trinidad and Tobago, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1 years | — |
| 1982 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1984 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1985 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1987 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1989 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1990 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1991 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 38 years | +2.7% |
Trinidad and Tobago compared with similar countries
- Trinidad and Tobago's 38 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 44 years, 86% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Trinidad and Tobago's 38 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30 years, 1.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1983 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1984 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1985 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 34 years | 30 years | 38 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Trinidad and Tobago
More social development data for Trinidad and Tobago
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,877 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 576 (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 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 576 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0014 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 Trinidad and Tobago?
- Age of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago was 38 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The highest recorded value was 38 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1981.
- How does Trinidad and Tobago rank for age of democracy?
- Trinidad and Tobago ranks 31st out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Trinidad and Tobago 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 — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.