Statizoid

Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in India

India: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 39 years in 2016. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2016)
39 years
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
36th
of 111 countries
All-time high
39 years
in 2016
All-time low
1 years
in 1952
Years of data
62
1952–2016

Age of electoral democracy in India, 1952–2016

010203040195219842016

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2016, age of electoral democracy in India stood at 39 years. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 34.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in India peaked at 39 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1952.

India ranks 36th of 111 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 (V-Dem) in India, year by year

Year years Change
1952 1 years —
1953 2 years +100.0%
1954 3 years +50.0%
1955 4 years +33.3%
1956 5 years +25.0%
1957 6 years +20.0%
1958 7 years +16.7%
1959 8 years +14.3%
1960 9 years +12.5%
1961 10 years +11.1%
1962 11 years +10.0%
1963 12 years +9.1%
1964 13 years +8.3%
1965 14 years +7.7%
1966 15 years +7.1%
1967 16 years +6.7%
1968 17 years +6.2%
1969 18 years +5.9%
1970 19 years +5.6%
1971 20 years +5.3%
1972 21 years +5.0%
1973 22 years +4.8%
1974 23 years +4.5%
1978 1 years -95.7%
1979 2 years +100.0%
1980 3 years +50.0%
1981 4 years +33.3%
1982 5 years +25.0%
1983 6 years +20.0%
1984 7 years +16.7%
1985 8 years +14.3%
1986 9 years +12.5%
1987 10 years +11.1%
1988 11 years +10.0%
1989 12 years +9.1%
1990 13 years +8.3%
1991 14 years +7.7%
1992 15 years +7.1%
1993 16 years +6.7%
1994 17 years +6.2%
1995 18 years +5.9%
1996 19 years +5.6%
1997 20 years +5.3%
1998 21 years +5.0%
1999 22 years +4.8%
2000 23 years +4.5%
2001 24 years +4.3%
2002 25 years +4.2%
2003 26 years +4.0%
2004 27 years +3.8%
2005 28 years +3.7%
2006 29 years +3.6%
2007 30 years +3.4%
2008 31 years +3.3%
2009 32 years +3.2%
2010 33 years +3.1%
2011 34 years +3.0%
2012 35 years +2.9%
2013 36 years +2.9%
2014 37 years +2.8%
2015 38 years +2.7%
2016 39 years +2.6%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 39 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21 years, 1.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
  • India's 39 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 11.5 years, 3.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in India 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.

YearChange FromTo
1978 -95.7% 23 years 1 years
1953 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1979 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1954 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1980 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1955 +33.3% 3 years 4 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 4.5 years 1 years 8 years 8
1960s 13.5 years 9 years 18 years 10
1970s 15.43 years 1 years 23 years 7
1980s 7.5 years 3 years 12 years 10
1990s 17.5 years 13 years 22 years 10
2000s 27.5 years 23 years 32 years 10
2010s 36 years 33 years 39 years 7

Countries ranked near India

  1. 33 Argentina 42 years compare
  2. 33 Jamaica 42 years compare
  3. 35 Uruguay 41 years compare
  4. 36 Brazil 39 years compare
  5. 38 South Korea 38 years compare
  6. 39 Bulgaria 36 years compare
  7. 39 Chile 36 years compare
  8. 39 Czechia 36 years compare
  9. 39 Latvia 36 years compare
  10. 39 Lithuania 36 years compare
  11. 39 Namibia 36 years compare
  12. 39 Poland 36 years compare
  13. 39 Romania 36 years compare
  14. 39 Senegal 36 years compare
  15. 39 Slovenia 36 years compare

See the full ranking of 111 places →

More social development data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of electoral democracy in India?
Age of electoral democracy in India was 39 years in 2016, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 39 years in 2016.
What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1952.
How does India rank for age of electoral democracy?
India ranks 36th out of 111 countries with data for 2016.
Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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.

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Age of electoral democracy in India. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-electoral-democracy/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Age of electoral democracy
Unit
years
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 5,296 data points, 1849–2025
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.