Age of democracy polity in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Age of democracy polity was 139 in 2018. β Volatile
Age of democracy polity in United Kingdom, 1880β2018
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 139 for age of democracy polity in 2018. That is the highest value across all 139 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy polity in United Kingdom peaked at 139 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1880.
That places United Kingdom 4th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5.5 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| 1890s | 15.5 | 11 | 20 | 10 |
| 1900s | 25.5 | 21 | 30 | 10 |
| 1910s | 35.5 | 31 | 40 | 10 |
| 1920s | 45.5 | 41 | 50 | 10 |
| 1930s | 55.5 | 51 | 60 | 10 |
| 1940s | 65.5 | 61 | 70 | 10 |
| 1950s | 75.5 | 71 | 80 | 10 |
| 1960s | 85.5 | 81 | 90 | 10 |
| 1970s | 95.5 | 91 | 100 | 10 |
| 1980s | 105.5 | 101 | 110 | 10 |
| 1990s | 115.5 | 111 | 120 | 10 |
| 2000s | 125.5 | 121 | 130 | 10 |
| 2010s | 135 | 131 | 139 | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 1 Switzerland 171 compare
- 2 United States 155 compare
- 3 New Zealand 142 compare
- 5 Canada 131 compare
- 6 Australia 118 compare
- 7 Sweden 105 compare
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.844 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.689 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.859 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.833 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.533 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy polity in United Kingdom?
- Age of democracy polity in United Kingdom was 139 in 2018, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy polity recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 139 in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy polity recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1880.
- How does United Kingdom rank for age of democracy polity?
- United Kingdom ranks 4th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy polity rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy polity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 139 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).