Age of liberal democracy in Portugal
Portugal: Age of liberal democracy was 46 years in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Age of liberal democracy in Portugal, 1977–2022
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of liberal democracy in Portugal is 46 years, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 27.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of liberal democracy in Portugal peaked at 46 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1977.
That places Portugal 20th out of 47 countries with data for 2022, 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 liberal democracy in Portugal, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1 years | — |
| 1978 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1980 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1981 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1982 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1983 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1984 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1985 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1986 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1987 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1988 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1990 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1991 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1992 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 46 years | +2.2% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 46 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 45 years, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 46 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 51 years, 90% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of liberal democracy in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1979 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1980 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1981 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 years | 1 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 1980s | 8.5 years | 4 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.5 years | 14 years | 23 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.5 years | 24 years | 33 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.5 years | 34 years | 43 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 45 years | 44 years | 46 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More social development data for Portugal
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 70,349 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (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 109 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0065 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 Portugal?
- Age of liberal democracy in Portugal was 46 years in 2022, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of liberal democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 46 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest age of liberal democracy recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1977.
- How does Portugal rank for age of liberal democracy?
- Portugal ranks 20th out of 47 countries with data for 2022.
- Is age of liberal democracy rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal 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 — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.