Policymaking Statistics: Trends You Need to Know (2025)

TL;DR: Policymaking is slow, often opaque, and poorly evaluated. These policymaking statistics reveal where to speed up laws, boost public input, and improve evaluation.

Policymaking is slow, complex, and often frustrating. But beneath the politics and procedure, there’s a quantifiable rhythm to how governments make decisions.

This piece examines key statistics from the past decade to explore four central themes: how long the policymaking cycle takes, how many policies are passed, how much the public participates, and how well governments evaluate their decisions.

How long does policymaking take?

Passing new laws is rarely quick. In the EU, the average legislative process takes around 22 months, with some laws stretching beyond three years depending on the issue. 

And that’s after the idea is on the agenda — it doesn’t count the years a problem might sit around before lawmakers decide to tackle it. Even after passage, countries may get another one or two years to implement the law.

Other examples:

• United States: A bill can pass in days during emergencies, but standard laws often take months.
• UK: As little as a few days to a few months. Major legislation can take up to a year or more, especially if defeated at the House of Lords.
• OECD: A 2025 report states that 16% of laws were passed using expedited procedures (10 days or fewer) as recently as 2021.

Speed can mean fewer checks. Quick laws may skip vital scrutiny and data, limiting public and opposition input to policy design. Implementation adds more delay: regulations must be written, systems updated, and frontline staff trained.

How many laws are passed each year?

Policy output varies by country:

• US: 275 in the 2023-2024 legislative year (118th Congress), ending Jan 03, 2025
• Australia: 140+ laws in 2024
• Germany: 107 per year, as of 2023
• South Africa (2015): 24 per year, as of 2023
• Bangladesh: 10 in 2024 (12th Parliament), 66 in 2023 (11th Parliament)

Some countries pass fewer, broader laws; others split changes across many smaller acts. A high volume isn’t always good—legislative overload can lead to confusion or poor enforcement.

Public participation: How involved are people?

Only 36% of people believe they have a say in government decisions. Trust correlates strongly with voice: 69% of those who feel heard trust their government vs. just 22% of those who don’t.

Citizen engagement is growing slowly:

• Between 2021–2023: 148 deliberative processes (e.g. citizens’ assemblies) were recorded in OECD countries.
• Since 1979: 716 total processes involving 80,000+ citizens.
• Only 19 have become permanent fixtures in governance.

Most of these initiatives remain one-off experiments. They show promise, especially on complex issues like climate change, but aren’t yet mainstream.

Are policies evaluated after implementation?

Ex-post evaluation is weak. OECD countries averaged just 1.34/4 on quality of policy evaluation in 2024. Only 9 of 38 countries scored above 2.

Policy evaluation issues include:

• Weak methodology
• Inconsistent use
• Lack of transparency (many evaluations unpublished)
• Poor oversight

Upfront evaluations (e.g. Regulatory Impact Assessments) fare slightly better. The quality of RIA systems in OECD countries in 2024 averaged about 2.3 out of 4, which is mediocre but an improvement from a 2.1 score back in 2014. Countries do well on basic methodology and consistency but lag on transparency and quality control.

Without evaluation, failed policies persist and successful ones aren’t scaled. It’s a major blind spot in governance.

Other quantifiable challenges

• Policy reversals: 11% of laws in 2021 were amended within a year—suggesting instability or rushed policymaking.
• Trust deficit: Only 39% of citizens trust their national government; 44% express low or no trust. Fewer than half believe their government can manage long-term or complex issues.
• Poor communication: Just 39% believe governments communicate reforms well; 41% believe decisions are based on solid evidence.
• Accountability gaps: Only 38% think parliament holds government to account. Strong oversight is rare, even in developed democracies.
• Policy lag: Tech and social change often outpace policy. Governments respond too slowly, creating regulatory gaps on major issues like AI and climate change.

Final thoughts

Policymaking is slow and imperfect—but also evolving. Citizens increasingly want a say, and some governments are responding. Still, participation, evaluation, and trust remain low.

Quantifying these trends gives us a baseline to improve, and the numbers above highlight where change is possible. Better public consultation, stronger evaluation systems, and clearer communication can all help move policies from design to advocacy to implementation. Fortunately, these are measurable goals.

If we know only 1 in 3 people feels heard, we can push for policies that include public input. If evaluations are rare, we can demand they become standard. And if 11% of laws are reversed within a year, we can ask why—and insist on more rigorous review.

Governance doesn’t have to be opaque. With clearer data and public pressure, the next decade of policymaking can be faster, smarter, and more inclusive.