Statizoid

Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Japan

Japan: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 74 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
74 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
21st
of 111 countries
All-time high
74 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1952
Years of data
74
1952–2025

Age of electoral democracy in Japan, 1952–2025

020406080195219882025

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

Analysis

In 2025, age of electoral democracy in Japan stood at 74 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Japan peaked at 74 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1952.

Japan ranks 21st of 111 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Japan, 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%
1975 24 years +4.3%
1976 25 years +4.2%
1977 26 years +4.0%
1978 27 years +3.8%
1979 28 years +3.7%
1980 29 years +3.6%
1981 30 years +3.4%
1982 31 years +3.3%
1983 32 years +3.2%
1984 33 years +3.1%
1985 34 years +3.0%
1986 35 years +2.9%
1987 36 years +2.9%
1988 37 years +2.8%
1989 38 years +2.7%
1990 39 years +2.6%
1991 40 years +2.6%
1992 41 years +2.5%
1993 42 years +2.4%
1994 43 years +2.4%
1995 44 years +2.3%
1996 45 years +2.3%
1997 46 years +2.2%
1998 47 years +2.2%
1999 48 years +2.1%
2000 49 years +2.1%
2001 50 years +2.0%
2002 51 years +2.0%
2003 52 years +2.0%
2004 53 years +1.9%
2005 54 years +1.9%
2006 55 years +1.9%
2007 56 years +1.8%
2008 57 years +1.8%
2009 58 years +1.8%
2010 59 years +1.7%
2011 60 years +1.7%
2012 61 years +1.7%
2013 62 years +1.6%
2014 63 years +1.6%
2015 64 years +1.6%
2016 65 years +1.6%
2017 66 years +1.5%
2018 67 years +1.5%
2019 68 years +1.5%
2020 69 years +1.5%
2021 70 years +1.4%
2022 71 years +1.4%
2023 72 years +1.4%
2024 73 years +1.4%
2025 74 years +1.4%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 74 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 63.5 years, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 74 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25 years, 3.0× the median. (13 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Japan 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
1953 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1954 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1955 +33.3% 3 years 4 years
1956 +25.0% 4 years 5 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 23.5 years 19 years 28 years 10
1980s 33.5 years 29 years 38 years 10
1990s 43.5 years 39 years 48 years 10
2000s 53.5 years 49 years 58 years 10
2010s 63.5 years 59 years 68 years 10
2020s 71.5 years 69 years 74 years 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 19 Israel 77 years compare
  2. 20 Costa Rica 76 years compare
  3. 22 Barbados 66 years compare
  4. 23 Trinidad and Tobago 64 years compare
  5. 24 Malta 63 years compare

See the full ranking of 111 places →

More social development data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of electoral democracy in Japan?
Age of electoral democracy in Japan was 74 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 74 years in 2025.
What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1952.
How does Japan rank for age of electoral democracy?
Japan ranks 21st out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-electoral-democracy/japan/

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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.