Age of electoral democracy in New Zealand
New Zealand: Age of electoral democracy was 139 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
139
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
3rd
of 111 countries
All-time high
139
in 2025
All-time low
1
in 1887
Years of data
139
1887–2025
Age of electoral democracy in New Zealand, 1887–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in New Zealand stood at 139. That is the highest value across all 139 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in New Zealand peaked at 139 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1887.
New Zealand ranks 3rd of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 | 1 | — |
| 1888 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1889 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1890 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1891 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1892 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1893 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1894 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 1895 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 1896 | 10 | +11.1% |
| 1897 | 11 | +10.0% |
| 1898 | 12 | +9.1% |
| 1899 | 13 | +8.3% |
| 1900 | 14 | +7.7% |
| 1901 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 1902 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 1903 | 17 | +6.2% |
| 1904 | 18 | +5.9% |
| 1905 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 1906 | 20 | +5.3% |
| 1907 | 21 | +5.0% |
| 1908 | 22 | +4.8% |
| 1909 | 23 | +4.5% |
| 1910 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 1911 | 25 | +4.2% |
| 1912 | 26 | +4.0% |
| 1913 | 27 | +3.8% |
| 1914 | 28 | +3.7% |
| 1915 | 29 | +3.6% |
| 1916 | 30 | +3.4% |
| 1917 | 31 | +3.3% |
| 1918 | 32 | +3.2% |
| 1919 | 33 | +3.1% |
| 1920 | 34 | +3.0% |
| 1921 | 35 | +2.9% |
| 1922 | 36 | +2.9% |
| 1923 | 37 | +2.8% |
| 1924 | 38 | +2.7% |
| 1925 | 39 | +2.6% |
| 1926 | 40 | +2.6% |
| 1927 | 41 | +2.5% |
| 1928 | 42 | +2.4% |
| 1929 | 43 | +2.4% |
| 1930 | 44 | +2.3% |
| 1931 | 45 | +2.3% |
| 1932 | 46 | +2.2% |
| 1933 | 47 | +2.2% |
| 1934 | 48 | +2.1% |
| 1935 | 49 | +2.1% |
| 1936 | 50 | +2.0% |
| 1937 | 51 | +2.0% |
| 1938 | 52 | +2.0% |
| 1939 | 53 | +1.9% |
| 1940 | 54 | +1.9% |
| 1941 | 55 | +1.9% |
| 1942 | 56 | +1.8% |
| 1943 | 57 | +1.8% |
| 1944 | 58 | +1.8% |
| 1945 | 59 | +1.7% |
| 1946 | 60 | +1.7% |
| 1947 | 61 | +1.7% |
| 1948 | 62 | +1.6% |
| 1949 | 63 | +1.6% |
| 1950 | 64 | +1.6% |
| 1951 | 65 | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 66 | +1.5% |
| 1953 | 67 | +1.5% |
| 1954 | 68 | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 69 | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 70 | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 71 | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 72 | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 73 | +1.4% |
| 1960 | 74 | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 75 | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 76 | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 77 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 78 | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 79 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 80 | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 81 | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 82 | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 83 | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 84 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 85 | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 86 | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 87 | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 88 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 89 | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 90 | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 91 | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 92 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 93 | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 94 | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 95 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 96 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 97 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 98 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 99 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 100 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 101 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 102 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 103 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 104 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 105 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 106 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 107 | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 108 | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 109 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 110 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 111 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 112 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 113 | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 114 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 115 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 116 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 117 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 118 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 119 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 120 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 121 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 122 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 123 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 124 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 125 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 126 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 127 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 128 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 129 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 130 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 131 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 132 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 133 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 134 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 135 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 136 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 137 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 138 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 139 | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 1890s | 8.5 | 4 | 13 | 10 |
| 1900s | 18.5 | 14 | 23 | 10 |
| 1910s | 28.5 | 24 | 33 | 10 |
| 1920s | 38.5 | 34 | 43 | 10 |
| 1930s | 48.5 | 44 | 53 | 10 |
| 1940s | 58.5 | 54 | 63 | 10 |
| 1950s | 68.5 | 64 | 73 | 10 |
| 1960s | 78.5 | 74 | 83 | 10 |
| 1970s | 88.5 | 84 | 93 | 10 |
| 1980s | 98.5 | 94 | 103 | 10 |
| 1990s | 108.5 | 104 | 113 | 10 |
| 2000s | 118.5 | 114 | 123 | 10 |
| 2010s | 128.5 | 124 | 133 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136.5 | 134 | 139 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 1 Switzerland 177 compare
- 2 Australia 168 compare
- 4 Iceland 122 compare
- 5 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 107 compare
- 6 United States of America 106 compare
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 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 New Zealand?
- Age of electoral democracy in New Zealand was 139 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 139 in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1887.
- How does New Zealand rank for age of electoral democracy?
- New Zealand ranks 3rd out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from 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 — 139 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).