Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Latvia
Latvia: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 36 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Latvia, 1923–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in Latvia stood at 36 years. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Latvia peaked at 36 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1923.
Latvia ranks 39th 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 Latvia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 1 years | — |
| 1924 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1925 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1926 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1927 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1928 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1929 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1930 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1931 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1932 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1933 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 1 years | -90.9% |
| 1991 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1997 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2001 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 36 years | +2.9% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 36 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 63.5 years, 57% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 36 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36 years, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Latvia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -90.9% | 11 years | 1 years |
| 1924 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1991 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1925 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1992 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 4 years | 1 years | 7 years | 7 |
| 1930s | 9.5 years | 8 years | 11 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 years | 11 years | 20 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5 years | 21 years | 30 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.5 years | 31 years | 36 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
- 36 Brazil 39 years compare
- 36 India 39 years compare
- 38 South Korea 38 years compare
- 39 Bulgaria 36 years compare
- 39 Chile 36 years compare
- 39 Czechia 36 years compare
- 39 Lithuania 36 years compare
- 39 Namibia 36 years compare
- 39 Poland 36 years compare
- 39 Romania 36 years compare
- 39 Senegal 36 years compare
- 39 Slovenia 36 years compare
More social development data for Latvia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 32,454 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 189 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 189 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0176 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 Latvia?
- Age of electoral democracy in Latvia was 36 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 36 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1923.
- How does Latvia rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Latvia ranks 39th out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latvia 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 — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.