Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 98 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
98 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
8th
of 144 countries
All-time high
98 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1928
Years of data
98
1928–2025
Age of electoral democracy in United Kingdom, 1928–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in United Kingdom stood at 98 years. That is the highest value across all 98 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in United Kingdom peaked at 98 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1928.
United Kingdom ranks 8th of 144 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 1 years | — |
| 1929 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1930 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1931 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1932 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1933 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1934 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1935 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1936 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1937 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1938 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1939 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1940 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1941 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1942 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1943 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1944 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1945 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1946 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1947 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1948 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1949 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1950 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1951 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1952 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1953 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1954 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1955 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1956 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1957 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1958 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1959 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1960 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1961 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 82 years | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 83 years | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 84 years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 85 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 86 years | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 87 years | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 88 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 89 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 90 years | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 91 years | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 92 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 93 years | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 94 years | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 95 years | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 96 years | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 97 years | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 98 years | +1.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 98 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 98 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36 years, 2.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1930 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1931 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1932 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 27.5 years | 23 years | 32 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 37.5 years | 33 years | 42 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.5 years | 43 years | 52 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.5 years | 53 years | 62 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.5 years | 63 years | 72 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.5 years | 73 years | 82 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.5 years | 83 years | 92 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.5 years | 93 years | 98 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Age of electoral democracy in United Kingdom was 98 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 98 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1928.
- How does United Kingdom rank for age of electoral democracy?
- United Kingdom ranks 8th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 98 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.