Age of liberal democracy in Spain
Spain: Age of liberal democracy was 43 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of liberal democracy in Spain, 1983–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of liberal democracy in Spain is 43 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of liberal democracy in Spain peaked at 43 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1983.
That places Spain 22nd out of 47 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.
Age of liberal democracy in Spain, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1 years | — |
| 1984 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1986 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1987 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1991 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1992 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1993 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1994 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1996 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 43 years | +2.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 43 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 45 years, 96% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Spain's 43 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 51 years, 84% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of liberal democracy in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1985 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1986 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1987 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4 years | 1 years | 7 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 12.5 years | 8 years | 17 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.5 years | 18 years | 27 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.5 years | 28 years | 37 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5 years | 38 years | 43 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More social development data for Spain
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 511,079 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 186 (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 186 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0104 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 Spain?
- Age of liberal democracy in Spain was 43 years in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of liberal democracy recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 43 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of liberal democracy recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1983.
- How does Spain rank for age of liberal democracy?
- Spain ranks 22nd out of 47 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of liberal democracy rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.