Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 25 years in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Sierra Leone, 1961–2022
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2022, age of electoral democracy in Sierra Leone stood at 25 years. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Sierra Leone peaked at 25 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1961.
Sierra Leone ranks 101st 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 Sierra Leone, 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% |
| 1996 | 1 years | -83.3% |
| 1998 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2000 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2005 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2007 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 25 years | +4.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 25 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 9 years, 2.8× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 25 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14 years, 1.8× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Sierra Leone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -83.3% | 6 years | 1 years |
| 1962 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1999 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1990s | 1.33 years | 1 years | 2 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 24 years | 23 years | 25 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More social development data for Sierra Leone
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (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 0.001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (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 Sierra Leone?
- Age of electoral democracy in Sierra Leone was 25 years in 2022, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 25 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1961.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Sierra Leone ranks 101st out of 144 countries with data for 2022.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.