Age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Age of liberal democracy was 105 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
105 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
4th
of 47 countries
All-time high
105 years
in 2023
All-time low
1 years
in 1919
Years of data
105
1919–2023
Age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom, 1919–2023
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom stood at 105 years. That is the highest value across all 105 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom peaked at 105 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1919.
That places United Kingdom 4th out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 1 years | — |
| 1920 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1921 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1922 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1923 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1924 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1925 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1926 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1927 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1928 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1929 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1930 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1931 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1932 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1933 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 1934 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1935 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 1936 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 1937 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 1938 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 1939 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 1940 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 1941 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 1942 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 1943 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 1944 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 1945 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 1946 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 1947 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 1948 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 1949 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 1950 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 1951 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 1952 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 1953 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1954 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 1955 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 1956 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 1957 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 1959 | 41 years | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 42 years | +2.4% |
| 1961 | 43 years | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 44 years | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 45 years | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 46 years | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 47 years | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 48 years | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 49 years | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 50 years | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 51 years | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 52 years | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 53 years | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 54 years | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 55 years | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 56 years | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 57 years | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 58 years | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 59 years | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 60 years | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 61 years | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 62 years | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 63 years | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 64 years | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 65 years | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 66 years | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 67 years | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 68 years | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 69 years | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 70 years | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 71 years | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 72 years | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 73 years | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 74 years | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 75 years | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 76 years | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 77 years | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 78 years | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 79 years | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 80 years | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 81 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 82 years | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 83 years | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 84 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 85 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 86 years | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 87 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 88 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 89 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 90 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 91 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 92 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 93 years | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 94 years | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 95 years | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 96 years | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 97 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 98 years | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 99 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 100 years | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 101 years | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 102 years | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 103 years | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 104 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 105 years | +1.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 105 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 45 years, 2.3× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 105 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 51 years, 2.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1921 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1922 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1923 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.5 years | 2 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 1930s | 16.5 years | 12 years | 21 years | 10 |
| 1940s | 26.5 years | 22 years | 31 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 36.5 years | 32 years | 41 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.5 years | 42 years | 51 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.5 years | 52 years | 61 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.5 years | 62 years | 71 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.5 years | 72 years | 81 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.5 years | 82 years | 91 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.5 years | 92 years | 101 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 103.5 years | 102 years | 105 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (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 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Age of liberal democracy in United Kingdom was 105 years in 2023, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of liberal democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 105 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest age of liberal democracy recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1919.
- How does United Kingdom rank for age of liberal democracy?
- United Kingdom ranks 4th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is age of liberal democracy rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 105 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.