Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Barbados
Barbados: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 65 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Barbados, 1961–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in Barbados stood at 65 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Barbados peaked at 65 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1961.
That places Barbados 24th out of 144 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Barbados, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1 years | — |
| 1962 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1963 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1964 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1965 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1966 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1967 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1968 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1969 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1970 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1971 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1972 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1973 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1974 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1975 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1976 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1977 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 65 years | +1.6% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 65 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 65 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 41 years, 1.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Barbados 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1963 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1964 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1965 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1970s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.5 years | 30 years | 39 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.5 years | 40 years | 49 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.5 years | 50 years | 59 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.5 years | 60 years | 65 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More social development data for Barbados
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 577 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 577 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of electoral democracy in Barbados?
- Age of electoral democracy in Barbados was 65 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 65 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1961.
- How does Barbados rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Barbados ranks 24th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.