Age of full democracy in Botswana

Botswana: Age of full democracy was 25 years in 2012. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2012)
25 years
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
69th
of 89 countries
All-time high
25 years
in 2012
All-time low
1 years
in 1988
Years of data
25
1988–2012

Age of full democracy in Botswana, 1988–2012

05101520251988200020121988: 1 years1989: 2 years1990: 3 years1991: 4 years1992: 5 years1993: 6 years1994: 7 years1995: 8 years1996: 9 years1997: 10 years1998: 11 years1999: 12 years2000: 13 years2001: 14 years2002: 15 years2003: 16 years2004: 17 years2005: 18 years2006: 19 years2007: 20 years2008: 21 years2009: 22 years2010: 23 years2011: 24 years2012: 25 years

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Botswana is 25 years, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 66.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Botswana peaked at 25 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1988.

Botswana ranks 69th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.5 years 1 years 2 years 2
1990s 7.5 years 3 years 12 years 10
2000s 17.5 years 13 years 22 years 10
2010s 24 years 23 years 25 years 3

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 69 Bulgaria 25 years compare
  2. 69 Hungary 25 years compare
  3. 72 Benin 23 years compare

See the full ranking of 89 places →

More social development data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of full democracy in Botswana?
Age of full democracy in Botswana was 25 years in 2012, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 25 years in 2012.
What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1988.
How does Botswana rank for age of full democracy?
Botswana ranks 69th out of 89 countries with data for 2012.
Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Botswana 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

Indicator
Age of full democracy
Unit
years
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
89 places, 4,197 data points, 1893–2025
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.