This project is a collaborative effort with Clayton Thyne to document successful and failed coups throughout the world. The initial data project, published in Journal of Peace Research, covered 1950-2009. We have continued to provide regular updates to the data.
We define coups as “illegal and overt attempts by the military or other elites within the state apparatus to unseat the sitting executive.” Successes are treated as episodes in which the perpetrators (or their agents) control power for at least 7 days. All data on this page are updated regularly. I strongly encourage anyone with comments, questions, or concerns with the data to contact Jonathan Powell or Clayton Thyne.
HOW TO CITE:
Powell, Jonathan & Clayton Thyne. 2011. Global Instances of Coups from 1950-Present. Journal of Peace Research 48(2):249-259.
ACCESS THE DATA:
List of coups by country (txt). 2=Successful Coup; 1=Failed Coup
Stata: insheet using http://www.uky.edu/~clthyn2/coup_data/powell_thyne_coups_final.txt, clear
List of coups by country(ccode)-year (txt). Stata: insheet using http://www.uky.edu/~clthyn2/coup_data/powell_thyne_ccode_year.txt
Original candidate list (txt) *NOTE: This list does not include candidates considered since original publication in JPR.
Stata: insheet using http://www.uky.edu/~clthyn2/coup_data/candidate_dataset.txt
Codebook (pdf)
If citing the data as a link, please use the original Journal of Peace Research page.
SELECTED COVERAGE
RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE
Lessons Learned from coups could lead to better responses. Africa Defense Forum. August, 12, 2025.
Top 10 African countries with the most coups. Business Insider Africa. October 29, 2024.
Un coup d’État n’est pas la solution. Mo Ibrahim Foundation. September 6, 2024.
La CEDEAO est-elle “responsable” de la situation au Burkina Faso? AfricaNews. August 13, 2024.
Het tijdperk van de Afrikaanse coups is nog lang niet voorbij. de Volkskrant. August 10, 2024.
Los golpes de Estado de entonces y los de ahora. Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica. July 4, 2024.
La historia turbulenta de Bolivia: más de 190 intentos de golpes y revoluciones. The Conversation. July 2, 2023.
Good news: Democracy won in Senegal. Here’s why it matters. Vox. April 4, 2024.
Africa’s growing coup tolerance. The Cable. Sept 8, 2023.
L’irrésistible déploiement d’une “ceinture de coups d’État” en Afrique. Courrier international. Sept 15, 2023.
En Afrique, le retour des putschistes. Le Pelerin. Sept 4, 2023.
Are Africans in the ‘coup belt’ just prisoners of geography? The Times. Sept 2, 2023.
A History of Coups in Africa. Barron’s. Sept 1, 2023.
Coast to Coast, a Corridor of Coups Brings Turmoil in Africa. New York Times. July 29, 2023.
There were 13 military coups in Africa in recent years. Why does this keep happening? USA Today. July 29, 2023.
The coup in Gabon is part of an alarming trend. The Economist. August 30, 2023.
Coup d’Etat au Gabon : “Si l’on ne sanctionne pas durement, on encourage d’autres putschs.” L’EXPRESS. August 31, 2023.
African countries hit by ‘epidemic’ of coups as Russia & China’s influence grows. Express (UK). August 30, 2023.
Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Tchad ou Soudan : une chronologie des coups d’État en Afrique. la Nouvelle Republique. Sept 2, 2023.
Africa’s appetite for coups grows… Index on Censorship. July 18, 2025.
Coups, riots and insurrections: Bolivia, a political volcano in constant eruption. EL PAÍS. June 27, 2024.
Chronologie: 20 ans de coup coups d’etat en Afrique. Le Temps. November 9, 2023.
African Bazoum, Ali Bongo down: Rwandan President Kagame moves against military, retires senior officers. Authentic Reporters. August 31, 2023.
Gabon new leader vows ‘free’ elections but gives no date. France24. April 9, 2023.
The Sudan crisis: A power struggle by design. Al-Jazeera. May 18, 2023.
Return of the jackboot. Africa Today. September 12, 2023.
Coups d’État : cinq chiffres à savoir sur les putschs en Afrique. Bamada. Sept 11, 2023.
Gabon coup: The latest in a series of military takeovers on the continent. BBC. August 30, 2023.
JMA : l’Afrique, 1er continent en termes de coups d’État. Gabon Media Time. May 30, 2023.
Niger: The resource politics of a post-colonial revolt. African Arguments. August 15, 2023.
LES COUPS D’ÉTAT EN AFRIQUE! News Antilles. August 2, 2023.
Harvest of coups threatens Africa’s democracy, Gabon military ends Bongos’ 56-year reign. Punch. August 31, 2023.
Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa? Freedom FM. January 4, 2023.
Gambia arrest five soldiers over alleged coup plot. Premium Times. December 22, 2022.
Coups in Africa: Less Frequent, More Deadly. Soldier of Fortune. May 3, 2022.
Les coups d’État militaires sont-ils en hausse en Afrique?. FutureAfrique. March 2, 2022.
Jonathan Powell, Ph.D. 