Age of full democracy in Canada
Canada: Age of full democracy was 80 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Canada, 1946–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Canada is 80 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 80 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Canada peaked at 80 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1946.
That places Canada 1st out of 89 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Canada, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 1 years | — |
| 1947 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1948 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1949 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1950 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1951 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1952 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1953 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1954 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1955 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1956 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1957 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1958 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1959 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1960 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1961 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1962 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1963 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1964 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1967 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1968 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1969 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 80 years | +1.3% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 80 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1948 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1949 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1950 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1950s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.5 years | 35 years | 44 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.5 years | 45 years | 54 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.5 years | 55 years | 64 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.5 years | 65 years | 74 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.5 years | 75 years | 80 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 1 Australia 80 years compare
- 1 Denmark 80 years compare
- 1 France 80 years compare
- 1 Iceland 80 years compare
- 1 Ireland 80 years compare
- 1 Luxembourg 80 years compare
- 1 Netherlands 80 years compare
- 1 New Zealand 80 years compare
- 1 Norway 80 years compare
- 1 Sweden 80 years compare
- 1 United Kingdom 80 years compare
More social development data for Canada
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 360 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 360 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 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 Canada?
- Age of full democracy in Canada was 80 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 80 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1946.
- How does Canada rank for age of full democracy?
- Canada ranks 1st out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 80 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.