Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 42 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Jamaica, 1956–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in Jamaica is 42 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 31.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Jamaica peaked at 42 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1956.
That places Jamaica 33rd out of 111 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Jamaica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 1 years | — |
| 1957 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1958 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1959 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1960 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1961 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1962 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1963 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1964 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1965 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1966 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1967 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1968 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1969 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1970 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1971 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1972 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1973 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 1 years | -95.2% |
| 1985 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1987 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1988 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1991 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1992 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1994 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1997 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1999 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 42 years | +2.4% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 42 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23 years, 1.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 42 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 35 years, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Jamaica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | -95.2% | 21 years | 1 years |
| 1957 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1985 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1958 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1986 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1960s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 18 years | 15 years | 21 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1990s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5 years | 27 years | 36 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.5 years | 37 years | 42 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of electoral democracy in Jamaica?
- Age of electoral democracy in Jamaica was 42 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 42 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1956.
- How does Jamaica rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Jamaica ranks 33rd out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica 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 — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.