Age of full democracy in Switzerland
Switzerland: Age of full democracy was 55 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Switzerland, 1971–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of full democracy in Switzerland stood at 55 years. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Switzerland peaked at 55 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1971.
That places Switzerland 30th 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1 years | — |
| 1972 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1974 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1975 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1977 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1978 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1981 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1982 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1983 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1984 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1985 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 55 years | +1.9% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 55 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 96% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 55 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 50.5 years, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Switzerland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1973 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1974 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1975 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 1 years | 9 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 14.5 years | 10 years | 19 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.5 years | 20 years | 29 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.5 years | 30 years | 39 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.5 years | 40 years | 49 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.5 years | 50 years | 55 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More social development data for Switzerland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (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 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 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 Switzerland?
- Age of full democracy in Switzerland was 55 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 55 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1971.
- How does Switzerland rank for age of full democracy?
- Switzerland ranks 30th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.