Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 11 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Sri Lanka, 1948–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in Sri Lanka stood at 11 years.
That represents a change of up 10.0% on the previous year and up 1,000.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Sri Lanka peaked at 35 years in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1948.
That places Sri Lanka 86th out of 111 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1 years | — |
| 1949 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1950 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1951 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1952 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1953 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1954 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1955 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1956 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1957 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1958 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1959 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1960 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1961 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1964 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 1 years | -97.1% |
| 1996 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1997 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1998 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2002 | 1 years | -80.0% |
| 2003 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2004 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2015 | 1 years | -66.7% |
| 2016 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2022 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2023 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2024 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2025 | 11 years | +10.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23 years, 48% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 11.5 years, 96% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | -97.1% | 35 years | 1 years |
| 1949 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1996 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2003 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2016 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 2002 | -80.0% | 5 years | 1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.5 years | 23 years | 32 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 34 years | 33 years | 35 years | 3 |
| 1990s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 2020s | 8.5 years | 6 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of electoral democracy in Sri Lanka?
- Age of electoral democracy in Sri Lanka was 11 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 35 years in 1982.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1948.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 86th out of 111 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,000.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.