Age of full democracy in Italy
Italy: Age of full democracy was 70 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Italy, 1956–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Italy recorded 70 years for age of full democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 70 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Italy peaked at 70 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1956.
That places Italy 16th out of 89 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Italy, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 1 years | — |
| 1957 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1958 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1959 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1960 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1961 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1962 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1963 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1964 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1965 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1966 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1967 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1968 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1969 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1970 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1971 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1972 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1973 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1981 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 70 years | +1.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 70 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Italy's 70 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 50.5 years, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1958 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1959 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1960 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 1960s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.5 years | 15 years | 24 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.5 years | 25 years | 34 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.5 years | 35 years | 44 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5 years | 45 years | 54 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.5 years | 55 years | 64 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.5 years | 65 years | 70 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More social development data for Italy
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 192,914 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 266 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 100 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 266 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0033 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 Italy?
- Age of full democracy in Italy was 70 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 70 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1956.
- How does Italy rank for age of full democracy?
- Italy ranks 16th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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.