Age of full democracy in Barbados
Barbados: Age of full democracy was 60 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Barbados, 1966–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of full democracy in Barbados stood at 60 years. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Barbados peaked at 60 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1966.
Barbados ranks 25th of 89 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 full democracy in Barbados, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 1 years | — |
| 1967 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1968 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1969 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1971 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1974 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1976 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1977 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1981 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 60 years | +1.7% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 60 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 60 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 40 years, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Barbados 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1968 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1969 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1970 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1970s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.5 years | 35 years | 44 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.5 years | 45 years | 54 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.5 years | 55 years | 60 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More social development data for Barbados
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 577 (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 0.002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 577 (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 full democracy in Barbados?
- Age of full democracy in Barbados was 60 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 60 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1966.
- How does Barbados rank for age of full democracy?
- Barbados ranks 25th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.