Age of democracy in Turkey
Turkey: Age of democracy was 31 years in 2013. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Turkey, 1946–2013
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of democracy in Turkey is 31 years, measured in 2013. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 47.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Turkey peaked at 31 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1946.
Turkey ranks 38th 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 Turkey, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 1 years | — |
| 1947 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1948 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1949 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1950 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1951 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1952 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1953 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1960 | 1 years | -87.5% |
| 1961 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1962 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1963 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1964 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1965 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1966 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1967 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1968 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1969 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1970 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1973 | 1 years | -90.9% |
| 1974 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1976 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1977 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1978 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1979 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1983 | 1 years | -85.7% |
| 1984 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1986 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1987 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1991 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1992 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1993 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1994 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1996 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 31 years | +3.3% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 31 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 31 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 29 years, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Turkey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | -90.9% | 11 years | 1 years |
| 1960 | -87.5% | 8 years | 1 years |
| 1983 | -85.7% | 7 years | 1 years |
| 1947 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1961 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1974 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1950s | 6.5 years | 5 years | 8 years | 4 |
| 1960s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.88 years | 1 years | 11 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 4 years | 1 years | 7 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 12.5 years | 8 years | 17 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.5 years | 18 years | 27 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5 years | 28 years | 31 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More social development data for Turkey
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.39 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 149,405 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0017 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 149,405 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0278 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 Turkey?
- Age of democracy in Turkey was 31 years in 2013, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 31 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1946.
- How does Turkey rank for age of democracy?
- Turkey ranks 38th out of 110 countries with data for 2013.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Turkey 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 — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.