Distribution of Democracy Index in Guatemala
Guatemala: Distribution of Democracy Index was 18 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
18
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
52nd
of 168 countries
All-time high
18
in 1996
All-time low
1
in 1900
Years of data
180
1839–2018
Distribution of Democracy Index in Guatemala, 1839–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 18 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 180 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Guatemala peaked at 18 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1900.
That places Guatemala 52nd out of 168 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.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1839 | 7 | — |
| 1840 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 9 | +28.6% |
| 1851 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 7 | -22.2% |
| 1855 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 1872 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 1874 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 5 | -44.4% |
| 1877 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 12 | +140.0% |
| 1880 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 7 | -41.7% |
| 1897 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 12 | +71.4% |
| 1899 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 1 | -91.7% |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 12 | +1100.0% |
| 1922 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | -91.7% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 15 | +1400.0% |
| 1945 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 12 | -20.0% |
| 1951 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 4 | -66.7% |
| 1955 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1959 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 13 | +160.0% |
| 1967 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11 | -15.4% |
| 1971 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 | -36.4% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | -28.6% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | -40.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1985 | 9 | +125.0% |
| 1986 | 13 | +44.4% |
| 1987 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 18 | +38.5% |
| 1997 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 18 | +0.0% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 18 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 18 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 1840s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1850s | 7.8 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| 1860s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.7 | 5 | 12 | 10 |
| 1880s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 1890s | 11 | 7 | 12 | 10 |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 10.9 | 1 | 12 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.1 | 1 | 12 | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.4 | 1 | 15 | 10 |
| 1950s | 7.4 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.2 | 5 | 13 | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.2 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.1 | 3 | 13 | 10 |
| 1990s | 15 | 13 | 18 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 52 Belgium 18 compare
- 52 Botswana 18 compare
- 52 Brazil 18 compare
- 52 East Timor 18 compare
- 52 El Salvador 18 compare
- 52 Ghana 18 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 18 compare
- 52 Latvia 18 compare
- 52 Lesotho 18 compare
- 52 Mexico 18 compare
- 52 Myanmar 18 compare
- 52 Philippines 18 compare
- 52 Serbia 18 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 18 compare
- 52 South Korea 18 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 18 compare
- 52 United States 18 compare
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 distribution of democracy index in Guatemala?
- Distribution of democracy index in Guatemala was 18 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 18 in 1996.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1900.
- How does Guatemala rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Guatemala ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 180 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).