Age of full democracy in United States
United States: Age of full democracy was 61 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in United States, 1965–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of full democracy in United States stood at 61 years. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in United States peaked at 61 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1965.
That places United States 24th 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 United States, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1 years | — |
| 1966 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1967 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1968 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1969 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1970 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1971 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1975 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1979 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1981 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 61 years | +1.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 61 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 57 years, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in United States 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1967 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1968 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1969 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 1970s | 10.5 years | 6 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5 years | 16 years | 25 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.5 years | 26 years | 35 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.5 years | 36 years | 45 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.5 years | 46 years | 55 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.5 years | 56 years | 61 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 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 United States?
- Age of full democracy in United States was 61 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 61 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1965.
- How does United States rank for age of full democracy?
- United States ranks 24th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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 — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.