Democracy in Guatemala
Guatemala: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
78th
of 198 countries
All-time high
6
in 1985
All-time low
0
in 1789
Years of data
220
1789–2025
Democracy in Guatemala, 1789–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in Guatemala is 6, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 220 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Guatemala peaked at 6 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1789.
Guatemala ranks 78th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0 | — |
| 1790 | 0 | — |
| 1791 | 0 | — |
| 1792 | 0 | — |
| 1793 | 0 | — |
| 1794 | 0 | — |
| 1795 | 0 | — |
| 1796 | 0 | — |
| 1797 | 0 | — |
| 1798 | 0 | — |
| 1799 | 0 | — |
| 1800 | 0 | — |
| 1801 | 0 | — |
| 1802 | 0 | — |
| 1803 | 0 | — |
| 1804 | 0 | — |
| 1805 | 0 | — |
| 1806 | 0 | — |
| 1807 | 0 | — |
| 1808 | 0 | — |
| 1809 | 0 | — |
| 1810 | 0 | — |
| 1811 | 0 | — |
| 1812 | 0 | — |
| 1813 | 0 | — |
| 1814 | 0 | — |
| 1815 | 0 | — |
| 1816 | 0 | — |
| 1817 | 0 | — |
| 1818 | 0 | — |
| 1819 | 0 | — |
| 1820 | 0 | — |
| 1821 | 0 | — |
| 1822 | 0 | — |
| 1840 | 3 | — |
| 1841 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1842 | 0 | — |
| 1843 | 0 | — |
| 1844 | 0 | — |
| 1845 | 0 | — |
| 1846 | 0 | — |
| 1847 | 0 | — |
| 1848 | 3 | — |
| 1849 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1851 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 1852 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 3 | +200.0% |
| 1854 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1855 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1858 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1859 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1866 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1872 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1874 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 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 | 3 | +200.0% |
| 1921 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | — |
| 1923 | 3 | +200.0% |
| 1924 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 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 | 4 | +300.0% |
| 1945 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 1 | — |
| 1957 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 3 | +200.0% |
| 1959 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 3 | — |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 6 | — |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 6 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 6 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7, 86% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1840s | 0.9 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1850s | 1.9 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1860s | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.8 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1880s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1890s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1900s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.8 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.4 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.1 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 78 Albania 6 compare
- 78 Armenia 6 compare
- 78 Bhutan 6 compare
- 78 Bolivia 6 compare
- 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 78 Botswana 6 compare
- 78 Colombia 6 compare
- 78 East Timor 6 compare
- 78 Ecuador 6 compare
- 78 Gambia 6 compare
- 78 Honduras 6 compare
- 78 Hungary 6 compare
- 78 India 6 compare
- 78 Indonesia 6 compare
- 78 Iraq 6 compare
- 78 Israel 6 compare
- 78 Kenya 6 compare
- 78 Lebanon 6 compare
- 78 Lesotho 6 compare
- 78 Liberia 6 compare
- 78 Malawi 6 compare
- 78 Malaysia 6 compare
- 78 Maldives 6 compare
- 78 Mexico 6 compare
- 78 Moldova 6 compare
- 78 Montenegro 6 compare
- 78 Nepal 6 compare
- 78 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 78 Paraguay 6 compare
- 78 Peru 6 compare
- 78 Philippines 6 compare
- 78 Senegal 6 compare
- 78 Slovakia 6 compare
- 78 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 78 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 78 Ukraine 6 compare
- 78 Zambia 6 compare
More public sector data for Guatemala
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Guatemala?
- Democracy in Guatemala was 6 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1985.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1789.
- How does Guatemala rank for democracy?
- Guatemala ranks 78th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy 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 Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 220 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).