Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Pakistan
Pakistan: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 16 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Pakistan, 1973–2023
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, age of electoral democracy in Pakistan stood at 16 years. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 166.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Pakistan peaked at 16 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1973.
That places Pakistan 111th out of 144 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Pakistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1 years | — |
| 1974 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1976 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1988 | 1 years | -75.0% |
| 1989 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1994 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 1 years | -90.9% |
| 2009 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2010 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2017 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2019 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 16 years | +6.7% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 16 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24 years, 67% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 16 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 23.5 years, 68% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -90.9% | 11 years | 1 years |
| 1988 | -75.0% | 4 years | 1 years |
| 1974 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1989 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2009 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1980s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 7 years | 3 years | 11 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5 years | 13 years | 16 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More social development data for Pakistan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.16 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 90,497 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 90,497 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0045 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 Pakistan?
- Age of electoral democracy in Pakistan was 16 years in 2023, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 16 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1973.
- How does Pakistan rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Pakistan ranks 111th out of 144 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 166.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Pakistan 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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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.