After ruling for nearly 14 years, Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned on Sunday alleging a coup.
According to a data set, 'Coups in the World', the country has witnessed 23 coup attempts between 1950 and 2019, the highest in the world. A coup is defined as an "illegal and overt attempt by the military or other elites within the state apparatus to unseat the sitting executive".
Fewer in recent times Globally, there were 476 coup attempts between 1950 and 2019. 224 coups were attempted between 1960 and 1979. The number has come down to 52 in the last 19 years.
Across the globe African countries saw the highest % of global coup attempts followed by Asian nations. Sudan witnessed the highest coups (15) in Africa and Iraq saw the highest in Asia (12).
Better development, fewer coups Countries with a low Human Development Index (HDI, 2018) tend to have more coup attempts, as shown by the trend line. Argentina is an exception. Coup attempts are likely to increase with a decrease in HDI.
Story post-Cold War Coup attempts have significantly fallen after the Cold War. In the 39 years between 1950 and 1989, the world saw over 350 coup attempts, while in the 29 years post 1990, 113 coups have been recorded.
