Age of democracy in Guatemala
Guatemala: Age of democracy was 23 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Age of democracy in Guatemala, 1996–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, age of democracy in Guatemala stood at 23 years. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 76.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of democracy in Guatemala peaked at 23 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1996.
That places Guatemala 66th out of 110 countries with data for 2018, 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 democracy in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 years | — |
| 1997 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1998 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2003 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2010 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 23 years | +4.5% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 23 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24 years, 96% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 23 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30 years, 77% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of democracy in Guatemala 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1998 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.5 years | 1 years | 4 years | 4 |
| 2000s | 9.5 years | 5 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 19 years | 15 years | 23 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More social development data for Guatemala
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,586 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0019 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 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 democracy in Guatemala?
- Age of democracy in Guatemala was 23 years in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 23 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest age of democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1996.
- How does Guatemala rank for age of democracy?
- Guatemala ranks 66th out of 110 countries with data for 2018.
- Is age of democracy rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a democracy.