Distribution of Democracy Index in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: Distribution of Democracy Index was 16 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Guinea-Bissau, 1974–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Guinea-Bissau is 16, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Guinea-Bissau peaked at 16 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1980.
That places Guinea-Bissau 87th 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 Guinea-Bissau, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3 | — |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 1981 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1985 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12 | +140.0% |
| 1995 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 10 | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 13 | +30.0% |
| 2000 | 15 | +15.4% |
| 2001 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | -40.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 16 | +77.8% |
| 2006 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 11 | -31.2% |
| 2013 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16 | +45.5% |
| 2015 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
Guinea-Bissau compared with similar countries
- Guinea-Bissau's 16 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Guinea-Bissau's 16 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.8 | 2 | 13 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.3 | 9 | 16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.89 | 11 | 16 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Guinea-Bissau
More social development data for Guinea-Bissau
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 24 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,800 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 20 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0008 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,800 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Guinea-Bissau?
- Distribution of democracy index in Guinea-Bissau was 16 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 2005.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1980.
- How does Guinea-Bissau rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Guinea-Bissau ranks 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Guinea-Bissau?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guinea-Bissau 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 — 45 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).