Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Gambia
Gambia: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 9 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Gambia, 1963–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in Gambia is 9 years, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 12.5% on the previous year and up 800.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Gambia peaked at 31 years in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1963.
Gambia ranks 125th of 144 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1 years | — |
| 1964 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1965 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1966 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1967 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1968 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1969 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1970 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1971 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1972 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1973 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1974 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1975 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1976 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 1 years | -96.8% |
| 2018 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2019 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2024 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2025 | 9 years | +12.5% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 9 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 9 years, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 9 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14 years, 64% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Gambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | -96.8% | 31 years | 1 years |
| 1964 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2018 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1965 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 2019 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4 years | 1 years | 7 years | 7 |
| 1970s | 12.5 years | 8 years | 17 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.5 years | 18 years | 27 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5 years | 28 years | 31 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2020s | 6.5 years | 4 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 122 Central African Republic 10 years compare
- 122 Madagascar 10 years compare
- 122 Tunisia 10 years compare
- 125 Cote d'Ivoire 9 years compare
- 125 Guinea-Bissau 9 years compare
- 125 Somalia 9 years compare
More social development data for Gambia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,108 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0024 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,728 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0015 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 Gambia?
- Age of electoral democracy in Gambia was 9 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 31 years in 1993.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1963.
- How does Gambia rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Gambia ranks 125th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 800.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia 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.
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About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.