What is democracy in Myanmar?

Democracy in Myanmar was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Myanmar?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1948.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Myanmar?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1962.

How does Myanmar rank for democracy?

Myanmar ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.

Where does this Myanmar data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Myanmar

Name: Democracy in Myanmar
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Myanmar: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 168 countries

All-time high

in 1948

All-time low

in 1962

Years of data

1948–2018

Democracy in Myanmar, 1948–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in Myanmar is 2, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 71 years on record.

The figure is up 100.0% over five years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Myanmar peaked at 2 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1962.

Myanmar ranks 1st of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Democracy in Myanmar, year by year

Annual values for Democracy in Myanmar, 1948 to 2018.
Year	Value	Change
1948	2	—
1949	2	+0.0%
1950	2	+0.0%
1951	2	+0.0%
1952	2	+0.0%
1953	2	+0.0%
1954	2	+0.0%
1955	2	+0.0%
1956	2	+0.0%
1957	2	+0.0%
1958	1	-50.0%
1959	1	+0.0%
1960	1	+0.0%
1961	1	+0.0%
1962	0	-100.0%
1963	0	—
1964	0	—
1965	0	—
1966	0	—
1967	0	—
1968	0	—
1969	0	—
1970	0	—
1971	0	—
1972	0	—
1973	0	—
1974	0	—
1975	0	—
1976	0	—
1977	0	—
1978	0	—
1979	0	—
1980	0	—
1981	0	—
1982	0	—
1983	0	—
1984	0	—
1985	0	—
1986	0	—
1987	0	—
1988	1	—
1989	1	+0.0%
1990	1	+0.0%
1991	1	+0.0%
1992	1	+0.0%
1993	1	+0.0%
1994	1	+0.0%
1995	1	+0.0%
1996	1	+0.0%
1997	1	+0.0%
1998	1	+0.0%
1999	1	+0.0%
2000	1	+0.0%
2001	1	+0.0%
2002	1	+0.0%
2003	1	+0.0%
2004	0	-100.0%
2005	0	—
2006	0	—
2007	0	—
2008	0	—
2009	0	—
2010	0	—
2011	1	—
2012	1	+0.0%
2013	1	+0.0%
2014	1	+0.0%
2015	1	+0.0%
2016	2	+100.0%
2017	2	+0.0%
2018	2	+0.0%

Myanmar compared with similar countries

Myanmar's 2 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Myanmar's 2 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1940s	2	2	2	2
1950s	1.8	1	2	10
1960s	0.2	0	1	10
1970s	0	0	0	10
1980s	0.2	0	1	10
1990s	1	1	1	10
2000s	0.4	0	1	10
2010s	1.22	0	2	9

Countries ranked near Myanmar

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Myanmar

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.28 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.58 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.17 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.53 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.17 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.01 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.7 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 25.14 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 73.24 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.8 (2050)

All data for Myanmar →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Myanmar?: Democracy in Myanmar was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Myanmar?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1948.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Myanmar?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1962.
How does Myanmar rank for democracy?: Myanmar ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Where does this Myanmar data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Democracy in Myanmar. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-regime-polity/myanmar/

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About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).