Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Iceland
Iceland: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 122 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
122 years
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
4th
of 111 countries
All-time high
122 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1904
Years of data
122
1904–2025
Age of electoral democracy in Iceland, 1904–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 122 years for age of electoral democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 122 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Iceland peaked at 122 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1904.
Iceland ranks 4th of 111 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 (V-Dem) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 1 years | — |
| 1905 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1906 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1907 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1908 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1909 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1910 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1911 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1912 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1913 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1914 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1915 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1916 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1917 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1918 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1919 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1920 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1921 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1922 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1923 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1924 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1925 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1926 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1927 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1928 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1929 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1930 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1931 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1932 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1933 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1934 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1935 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1936 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1937 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1938 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1939 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1940 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1941 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1942 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1943 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1944 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1945 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1946 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1947 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1948 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1949 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1950 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1951 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1952 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1954 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1955 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1956 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1958 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 1961 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 82 years | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 83 years | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 84 years | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 85 years | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 86 years | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 87 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 88 years | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 89 years | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 90 years | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 91 years | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 92 years | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 93 years | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 94 years | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 95 years | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 96 years | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 97 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 98 years | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 99 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 100 years | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 101 years | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 102 years | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 103 years | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 104 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 105 years | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 106 years | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 107 years | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 108 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 109 years | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 110 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 111 years | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 112 years | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 113 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 114 years | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 115 years | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 116 years | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 117 years | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 118 years | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 119 years | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 120 years | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 121 years | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 122 years | +0.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 122 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 63.5 years, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 122 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36 years, 3.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Iceland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1906 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1907 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1908 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1910s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 1920s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 31.5 years | 27 years | 36 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 41.5 years | 37 years | 46 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 51.5 years | 47 years | 56 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 61.5 years | 57 years | 66 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 71.5 years | 67 years | 76 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.5 years | 77 years | 86 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.5 years | 87 years | 96 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 101.5 years | 97 years | 106 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 111.5 years | 107 years | 116 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 119.5 years | 117 years | 122 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 1 Switzerland 177 years compare
- 2 Australia 168 years compare
- 3 New Zealand 139 years compare
- 5 United Kingdom 107 years compare
- 6 United States 106 years compare
- 7 Canada 105 years compare
More social development data for Iceland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,459 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (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 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0216 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 Iceland?
- Age of electoral democracy in Iceland was 122 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 122 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1904.
- How does Iceland rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Iceland ranks 4th out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (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 — 122 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.