Statizoid

Age of liberal democracy in France

France: Age of liberal democracy was 79 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
79 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
13th
of 47 countries
All-time high
79 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1947
Years of data
79
1947–2025

Age of liberal democracy in France, 1947–2025

020406080194719862025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

France recorded 79 years for age of liberal democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 79 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age of liberal democracy in France peaked at 79 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1947.

France ranks 13th of 47 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Age of liberal democracy in France, year by year

Year years Change
1947 1 years —
1948 2 years +100.0%
1949 3 years +50.0%
1950 4 years +33.3%
1951 5 years +25.0%
1952 6 years +20.0%
1953 7 years +16.7%
1954 8 years +14.3%
1955 9 years +12.5%
1956 10 years +11.1%
1957 11 years +10.0%
1958 12 years +9.1%
1959 13 years +8.3%
1960 14 years +7.7%
1961 15 years +7.1%
1962 16 years +6.7%
1963 17 years +6.2%
1964 18 years +5.9%
1965 19 years +5.6%
1966 20 years +5.3%
1967 21 years +5.0%
1968 22 years +4.8%
1969 23 years +4.5%
1970 24 years +4.3%
1971 25 years +4.2%
1972 26 years +4.0%
1973 27 years +3.8%
1974 28 years +3.7%
1975 29 years +3.6%
1976 30 years +3.4%
1977 31 years +3.3%
1978 32 years +3.2%
1979 33 years +3.1%
1980 34 years +3.0%
1981 35 years +2.9%
1982 36 years +2.9%
1983 37 years +2.8%
1984 38 years +2.7%
1985 39 years +2.6%
1986 40 years +2.6%
1987 41 years +2.5%
1988 42 years +2.4%
1989 43 years +2.4%
1990 44 years +2.3%
1991 45 years +2.3%
1992 46 years +2.2%
1993 47 years +2.2%
1994 48 years +2.1%
1995 49 years +2.1%
1996 50 years +2.0%
1997 51 years +2.0%
1998 52 years +2.0%
1999 53 years +1.9%
2000 54 years +1.9%
2001 55 years +1.9%
2002 56 years +1.8%
2003 57 years +1.8%
2004 58 years +1.8%
2005 59 years +1.7%
2006 60 years +1.7%
2007 61 years +1.7%
2008 62 years +1.6%
2009 63 years +1.6%
2010 64 years +1.6%
2011 65 years +1.6%
2012 66 years +1.5%
2013 67 years +1.5%
2014 68 years +1.5%
2015 69 years +1.5%
2016 70 years +1.4%
2017 71 years +1.4%
2018 72 years +1.4%
2019 73 years +1.4%
2020 74 years +1.4%
2021 75 years +1.4%
2022 76 years +1.3%
2023 77 years +1.3%
2024 78 years +1.3%
2025 79 years +1.3%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 79 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 45 years, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • France's 79 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 51 years, 1.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Age of liberal democracy in France 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.

YearChange FromTo
1948 +100.0% 1 years 2 years
1949 +50.0% 2 years 3 years
1950 +33.3% 3 years 4 years
1951 +25.0% 4 years 5 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 2 years 1 years 3 years 3
1950s 8.5 years 4 years 13 years 10
1960s 18.5 years 14 years 23 years 10
1970s 28.5 years 24 years 33 years 10
1980s 38.5 years 34 years 43 years 10
1990s 48.5 years 44 years 53 years 10
2000s 58.5 years 54 years 63 years 10
2010s 68.5 years 64 years 73 years 10
2020s 76.5 years 74 years 79 years 6

Countries ranked near France

  1. 14 Finland 77 years compare
  2. 15 Japan 74 years compare
  3. 16 Austria 70 years compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More social development data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is age of liberal democracy in France?
Age of liberal democracy in France was 79 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest age of liberal democracy recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 79 years in 2025.
What is the lowest age of liberal democracy recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1947.
How does France rank for age of liberal democracy?
France ranks 13th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
Is age of liberal democracy rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of liberal democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Age of liberal democracy in France. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/age-of-liberal-democracy-row/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Age of liberal democracy
Unit
years
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
47 places, 2,559 data points, 1849–2025
Last refreshed

Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.