Number of coup d'états worldwide 1945-2021, by type and country

When a group of Reichsbürger, a group of right extremists, was arrested in December 2022 in Germany for plans of overthrowing the current government of the country and replacing it with a monarch, coup d'états again started to figure in the headlines around the world. While these events have been extremely rare in Western Europe since the end of the Second World War, the arrests underline that there are forces seeking to replace elected, democratic regimes also in this part of the world.

Coup d'états in the world

Looking at the world since 1945, Thailand recorded the highest number of successful coups at ten. Syria and Bolivia followed behind with eight successful coups each. Looking at attempted but failed coup attempts, Iraq saw the highest number with 16, followed Chad and Sudan* with 11 each. Several Latin American countries were also ridden by coups and coup attempts during the Cold War.

Attack on the Capitol

While successful coups are generally simple to define, defining an attempted and plotted coup is more challenging. Especially alleged plots are ambiguous, as these often are used as a frame by the incumbent regime to jail opponents. The storming of the Capitol in the United States in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021 is an incident that some choose to define as an attempted coup while other would see it as a result of a public revolt. Here, it is included as a failed coup attempt in line with the source used.