Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Guatemala
Guatemala: Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) was 41 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Guatemala, 1985–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, age of electoral democracy in Guatemala stood at 41 years. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Guatemala peaked at 41 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1985.
That places Guatemala 55th out of 144 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 electoral democracy (Lexical Index) in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1 years | — |
| 1986 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1988 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1989 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1991 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1992 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1993 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1994 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1996 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 1997 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 1998 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 36 years | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 37 years | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 38 years | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 39 years | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 40 years | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 41 years | +2.5% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 41 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 35 years, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 41 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 41 years, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (Lexical Index) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1987 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1988 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
| 1989 | +25.0% | 4 years | 5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3 years | 1 years | 5 years | 5 |
| 1990s | 10.5 years | 6 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.5 years | 16 years | 25 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5 years | 26 years | 35 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.5 years | 36 years | 41 years | 6 |
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 electoral democracy in Guatemala?
- Age of electoral democracy in Guatemala was 41 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 41 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1985.
- How does Guatemala rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Guatemala ranks 55th out of 144 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.