Age of full democracy in United States
United States: Age of full democracy was 61 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in United States, 1965–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, age of full democracy in United States stood at 61. 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 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 1970s | 10.5 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5 | 16 | 25 | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.5 | 26 | 35 | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.5 | 36 | 45 | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.5 | 46 | 55 | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.5 | 56 | 61 | 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 asy 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.826 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.571 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.735 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.913 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.729 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.51 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in United States?
- Age of full democracy in United States was 61 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 61 in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 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 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).