Which has higher state capacity index, Guyana or North Korea?

Guyana, at 0.2083 against 0.1979 in North Korea as of 2015.

How many years of comparable data are there for Guyana and North Korea?

50 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2015.

Where does this data come from?

Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as State Capacity Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Guyana vs North Korea: State Capacity Index

Guyana

0.2083

in 2015

North Korea

0.1979

in 2015

Guyana rank

104th

North Korea rank

106th

State Capacity Index over time

Guyana
North Korea

How they compare

Guyana currently reports 0.2083 against 0.1979 in North Korea, a difference of 0.0104.

That makes Guyana's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1966 it was Guyana ahead.

Guyana ranks 104th and North Korea ranks 106th of 165 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Guyana averaged higher in 5 and North Korea in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Guyana	North Korea	Difference	Ahead
1960s	0.2945	-0.5546	0.8492	Guyana
1970s	0.714	-0.489	1.2	Guyana
1980s	0.5604	-0.2846	0.8451	Guyana
1990s	0.4977	-0.0336	0.5313	Guyana
2000s	0.3993	0.1184	0.2808	Guyana
2010s	0.1131	0.216	0.1029	North Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher state capacity index, Guyana or North Korea?: Guyana, at 0.2083 against 0.1979 in North Korea as of 2015.
What is the difference in state capacity index between Guyana and North Korea?: 0.0104, with Guyana ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Guyana and North Korea?: 50 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2015.
How do Guyana and North Korea rank globally for state capacity index?: Guyana ranks 104th and North Korea ranks 106th of 165 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as State Capacity Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: State Capacity Index
Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.