Age of full democracy in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Age of full democracy was 22 years in 1969. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Sri Lanka, 1948–1969
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 1969, age of full democracy in Sri Lanka stood at 22 years. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 83.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Sri Lanka peaked at 22 years in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1948.
That places Sri Lanka 73rd out of 89 countries with data for 1969, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1 years | — |
| 1949 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1950 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1951 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1952 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1953 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1954 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1955 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1956 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1957 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1958 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1959 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1960 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1961 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1964 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1965 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 22 years | +4.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 22 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.5 years, 64% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1950 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 72 Benin 23 years
- 74 Peru 21 years
- 75 Romania 20 years
- 76 Sao Tome and Principe 16 years
- 76 Senegal 16 years
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in Sri Lanka?
- Age of full democracy in Sri Lanka was 22 years in 1969, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 22 years in 1969.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1948.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for age of full democracy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 73rd out of 89 countries with data for 1969.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.