Age of liberal democracy by country
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.
Countries reporting
47
Highest
177 years
Switzerland
Lowest
1 years
South Korea
Median
37 years
Years covered
177
1849–2025
Data points
2,559
What the numbers show
Age of liberal democracy is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 177 years in Switzerland; the lowest is 1 years in South Korea.
The median across all reporting countries is 37 years, and the mean is 46.13 years.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 177.
Over the past decade 38 countries rose and 9 fell. The largest increase was in Barbados (up 1,000.0%), and the largest decrease in Canada (down 97.2%).
Age of liberal democracy: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 177 years | 2025 | up 6.0% | volatile |
| 2 | New Zealand | 113 years | 2025 | up 9.7% | volatile |
| 3 | Australia | 108 years | 2025 | up 10.2% | volatile |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 105 years | 2023 | up 10.5% | volatile |
| 5 | Sweden | 104 years | 2025 | up 10.6% | volatile |
| 6 | Ireland | 102 years | 2025 | up 10.9% | volatile |
| 7 | Iceland | 82 years | 2025 | up 13.9% | volatile |
| 8 | Belgium | 80 years | 2025 | up 14.3% | volatile |
| 8 | Norway | 80 years | 2025 | up 14.3% | volatile |
| 8 | Netherlands | 80 years | 2025 | up 14.3% | volatile |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 80 years | 2025 | up 14.3% | volatile |
| 8 | Denmark | 80 years | 2025 | up 14.3% | volatile |
| 13 | France | 79 years | 2025 | up 14.5% | volatile |
| 14 | Finland | 77 years | 2025 | up 14.9% | volatile |
| 15 | Japan | 74 years | 2025 | up 15.6% | volatile |
| 16 | Austria | 70 years | 2025 | up 16.7% | volatile |
| 17 | Israel | 57 years | 2022 | up 21.3% | volatile |
| 18 | United States | 56 years | 2024 | up 21.7% | volatile |
| 18 | Italy | 56 years | 2025 | up 21.7% | volatile |
| 20 | Portugal | 46 years | 2022 | up 27.8% | volatile |
| 21 | Greece | 44 years | 2019 | up 29.4% | volatile |
| 22 | Spain | 43 years | 2025 | up 30.3% | volatile |
| 23 | Uruguay | 41 years | 2025 | up 32.3% | volatile |
| 24 | Costa Rica | 37 years | 2025 | up 37.0% | volatile |
| 25 | Germany | 35 years | 2025 | up 40.0% | volatile |
| 26 | Mauritius | 32 years | 2016 | up 45.5% | volatile |
| 27 | Estonia | 30 years | 2025 | up 50.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Taiwan | 26 years | 2025 | up 62.5% | volatile |
| 29 | Poland | 23 years | 2015 | up 76.9% | volatile |
| 30 | Botswana | 22 years | 2020 | up 83.3% | volatile |
| 30 | Cyprus | 22 years | 2025 | up 83.3% | volatile |
| 32 | Hungary | 19 years | 2009 | up 111.1% | volatile |
| 33 | South Africa | 17 years | 2012 | up 142.9% | volatile |
| 34 | Ghana | 12 years | 2014 | up 500.0% | volatile |
| 35 | Barbados | 11 years | 2025 | up 1,000.0% | volatile |
| 36 | Seychelles | 10 years | 2025 | up 900.0% | volatile |
| 37 | Latvia | 9 years | 2025 | up 350.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Serbia | 6 years | 2012 | up 500.0% | rising |
| 39 | Chile | 5 years | 2025 | down 75.0% | volatile |
| 40 | Czechia | 4 years | 2025 | down 84.6% | volatile |
| 40 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4 years | 2025 | down 63.6% | volatile |
| 42 | Slovakia | 3 years | 2022 | down 78.6% | volatile |
| 42 | Bhutan | 3 years | 2023 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 44 | Slovenia | 1 years | 2022 | down 95.5% | volatile |
| 44 | Canada | 1 years | 2021 | down 97.2% | volatile |
| 44 | Lithuania | 1 years | 2025 | down 95.7% | volatile |
| 44 | South Korea | 1 years | 2025 | down 95.7% | volatile |
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.