Age of full democracy in Jamaica
Jamaica: Age of full democracy was 45 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Jamaica, 1981–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Jamaica is 45 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Jamaica peaked at 45 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1981.
That places Jamaica 41st out of 89 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Jamaica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1 years | — |
| 1982 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1984 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1985 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1987 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1989 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1990 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1991 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1997 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2000 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 45 years | +2.3% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 45 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.5 years, 1.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 45 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 40 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Jamaica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1983 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1984 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1985 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.5 years | 30 years | 39 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.5 years | 40 years | 45 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % 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 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in Jamaica?
- Age of full democracy in Jamaica was 45 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 45 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1981.
- How does Jamaica rank for age of full democracy?
- Jamaica ranks 41st out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica 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.