Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Kenya
Kenya: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 4 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Age of electoral democracy in Kenya, 2003–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of electoral democracy in Kenya is 4 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 33.3% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Kenya peaked at 4 years in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2003.
That places Kenya 100th out of 111 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 years | — |
| 2004 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2005 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 1 years | -75.0% |
| 2014 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2016 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2022 | 1 years | -75.0% |
| 2023 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2024 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +33.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21 years, 19% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12 years, 33% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 2020s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 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 Kenya?
- Age of electoral democracy in Kenya was 4 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4 years in 2006.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2003.
- How does Kenya rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Kenya ranks 100th out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.