Statizoid

Age of full democracy in New Zealand

New Zealand: Age of full democracy was 80 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
80 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
1st
of 89 countries
All-time high
80 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1893
Years of data
122
1893–2025

Age of full democracy in New Zealand, 1893–2025

020406080189319592025

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

Analysis

In 2025, age of full democracy in New Zealand stood at 80 years. That is the highest value across all 122 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 New Zealand peaked at 80 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1893.

That places New Zealand 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 New Zealand, year by year

Year years Change
1893 1 years —
1894 2 years +100.0%
1895 3 years +50.0%
1896 4 years +33.3%
1897 5 years +25.0%
1898 6 years +20.0%
1899 7 years +16.7%
1900 8 years +14.3%
1901 9 years +12.5%
1902 10 years +11.1%
1903 11 years +10.0%
1904 12 years +9.1%
1905 13 years +8.3%
1906 14 years +7.7%
1907 15 years +7.1%
1908 16 years +6.7%
1909 17 years +6.2%
1910 18 years +5.9%
1911 19 years +5.6%
1912 20 years +5.3%
1913 21 years +5.0%
1919 1 years -95.2%
1920 2 years +100.0%
1921 3 years +50.0%
1922 4 years +33.3%
1923 5 years +25.0%
1924 6 years +20.0%
1925 7 years +16.7%
1926 8 years +14.3%
1927 9 years +12.5%
1928 10 years +11.1%
1929 11 years +10.0%
1930 12 years +9.1%
1931 13 years +8.3%
1932 14 years +7.7%
1933 15 years +7.1%
1934 16 years +6.7%
1935 17 years +6.2%
1936 18 years +5.9%
1937 19 years +5.6%
1938 20 years +5.3%
1939 21 years +5.0%
1946 1 years -95.2%
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%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 80 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 80 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 47 years, 1.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of full democracy in New Zealand 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.

YearChange FromTo
1919 -95.2% 21 years 1 years
1946 -95.2% 21 years 1 years
1894 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1920 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1947 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1895 +50.0% 2 years 3 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 4 years 1 years 7 years 7
1900s 12.5 years 8 years 17 years 10
1910s 15.8 years 1 years 21 years 5
1920s 6.5 years 2 years 11 years 10
1930s 16.5 years 12 years 21 years 10
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 New Zealand

  1. 1 Australia 80 years compare
  2. 1 Canada 80 years compare
  3. 1 Denmark 80 years compare
  4. 1 France 80 years compare
  5. 1 Iceland 80 years compare
  6. 1 Ireland 80 years compare
  7. 1 Luxembourg 80 years compare
  8. 1 Netherlands 80 years compare
  9. 1 Norway 80 years compare
  10. 1 Sweden 80 years compare
  11. 1 United Kingdom 80 years compare

See the full ranking of 89 places →

More social development data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of full democracy in New Zealand?
Age of full democracy in New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 80 years in 2025.
What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1893.
How does New Zealand rank for age of full democracy?
New Zealand ranks 1st out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
Is age of full democracy rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand 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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Age of full democracy in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-full-democracy/new-zealand/

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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.