Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Estonia
Estonia: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 35 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Estonia, 1918–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in Estonia is 35 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Estonia peaked at 35 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1918.
Estonia ranks 73rd of 144 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 electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Estonia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 1 years | — |
| 1919 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1920 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1921 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1922 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1923 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1924 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1925 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1926 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1927 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1928 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1929 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1930 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1931 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1932 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1933 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 1 years | -93.8% |
| 1992 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1998 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2000 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 35 years | +2.9% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 35 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 61% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 35 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36 years, 97% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Estonia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | -93.8% | 16 years | 1 years |
| 1919 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1992 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1920 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1993 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 14.5 years | 13 years | 16 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.5 years | 30 years | 35 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More social development data for Estonia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,299 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 86 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0302 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 Estonia?
- Age of electoral democracy in Estonia was 35 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 35 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1918.
- How does Estonia rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Estonia ranks 73rd out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Estonia 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 — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.