Age of democracy polity in United States
United States: Age of democracy polity was 155 in 2019. β Volatile
Age of democracy polity in United States, 1801β2019
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 155 for age of democracy polity in 2019. That is the highest value across all 214 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy polity in United States peaked at 155 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1801.
That places United States 2nd out of 110 countries with data for 2019, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 5 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| 1810s | 14.5 | 10 | 19 | 10 |
| 1820s | 24.5 | 20 | 29 | 10 |
| 1830s | 34.5 | 30 | 39 | 10 |
| 1840s | 44.5 | 40 | 49 | 10 |
| 1850s | 54.5 | 50 | 59 | 10 |
| 1860s | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 1870s | 10.5 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| 1880s | 20.5 | 16 | 25 | 10 |
| 1890s | 30.5 | 26 | 35 | 10 |
| 1900s | 40.5 | 36 | 45 | 10 |
| 1910s | 50.5 | 46 | 55 | 10 |
| 1920s | 60.5 | 56 | 65 | 10 |
| 1930s | 70.5 | 66 | 75 | 10 |
| 1940s | 80.5 | 76 | 85 | 10 |
| 1950s | 90.5 | 86 | 95 | 10 |
| 1960s | 100.5 | 96 | 105 | 10 |
| 1970s | 110.5 | 106 | 115 | 10 |
| 1980s | 120.5 | 116 | 125 | 10 |
| 1990s | 130.5 | 126 | 135 | 10 |
| 2000s | 140.5 | 136 | 145 | 10 |
| 2010s | 150.5 | 146 | 155 | 10 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Switzerland 171 compare
- 3 New Zealand 142 compare
- 4 United Kingdom 139 compare
- 5 Canada 131 compare
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.826 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.571 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.735 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.913 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of democracy polity in United States?
- Age of democracy polity in United States was 155 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy polity recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 155 in 2019.
- What is the lowest age of democracy polity recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1801.
- How does United States rank for age of democracy polity?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 110 countries with data for 2019.
- Is age of democracy polity rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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 214 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).