Age of liberal democracy in Iceland
Iceland: Age of liberal democracy was 82 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
82 years
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
7th
of 47 countries
All-time high
82 years
in 2025
All-time low
1 years
in 1920
Years of data
92
1920–2025
Age of liberal democracy in Iceland, 1920–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of liberal democracy in Iceland stood at 82 years. That is the highest value across all 92 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of liberal democracy in Iceland peaked at 82 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1920.
That places Iceland 7th out of 47 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of liberal democracy in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1 years | — |
| 1921 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1922 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1923 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1924 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1925 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1926 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1927 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1928 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1929 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1944 | 1 years | -90.0% |
| 1945 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1946 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1947 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1948 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1949 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1950 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1951 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1952 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1953 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1954 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1955 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1956 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1957 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1958 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1959 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1960 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1961 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1962 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1963 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1964 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1965 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1966 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1967 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1968 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 82 years | +1.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 82 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 45 years, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 82 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 51 years, 1.6× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of liberal democracy in Iceland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1945 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1944 | -90.0% | 10 years | 1 years |
| 1922 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1946 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1923 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.5 years | 1 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 1950s | 11.5 years | 7 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 21.5 years | 17 years | 26 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.5 years | 27 years | 36 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.5 years | 37 years | 46 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.5 years | 47 years | 56 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.5 years | 57 years | 66 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.5 years | 67 years | 76 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.5 years | 77 years | 82 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More social development data for Iceland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,459 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (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 0 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0216 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 liberal democracy in Iceland?
- Age of liberal democracy in Iceland was 82 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of liberal democracy recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 82 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of liberal democracy recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1920.
- How does Iceland rank for age of liberal democracy?
- Iceland ranks 7th out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of liberal democracy rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 92 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.