Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Botswana
Botswana: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 60 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Botswana, 1966–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 60 years for age of electoral democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Botswana peaked at 60 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1966.
Botswana ranks 30th of 144 countries on this measure, 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 Botswana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 1 years | — |
| 1967 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1968 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1969 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1971 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1974 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1976 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1977 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1981 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 60 years | +1.7% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 60 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 35 years, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 60 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14 years, 4.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Botswana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1968 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1969 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1970 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1970s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.5 years | 35 years | 44 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.5 years | 45 years | 54 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.5 years | 55 years | 60 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 27 Bahamas 62 years compare
- 27 Belize 62 years compare
- 29 United States 61 years compare
- 30 Nauru 60 years compare
- 32 Dominica 59 years compare
- 32 Saint Kitts and Nevis 59 years compare
- 32 Saint Lucia 59 years compare
More social development data for Botswana
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 847 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 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 Botswana?
- Age of electoral democracy in Botswana was 60 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 60 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1966.
- How does Botswana rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Botswana ranks 30th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana 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 — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.