Countries in South America by political stability
How likely the government is to be overthrown or destabilised by violence, unrest or terrorism, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (least stable) to +2.5. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2024
Median country
−0.35
half above, half below| # | Country | Estimate | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Uruguay | +1.28 | South America |
| 2 |  Suriname | +0.48 | South America |
| 3 |  Guyana | +0.22 | South America |
| 4 |  Chile | +0.12 | South America |
| 5 |  Paraguay | −0.07 | South America |
| 6 |  Argentina | −0.17 | South America |
| 7 |  Brazil | −0.52 | South America |
| 8 |  Bolivia | −0.55 | South America |
| 9 |  Peru | −0.65 | South America |
| 10 |  Ecuador | −0.72 | South America |
| 11 |  Colombia | −0.97 | South America |
| 12 |  Venezuela | −1.74 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest political stability?
- Uruguay has the highest political stability in South America: an estimate of +1.28 (2024). Next come Suriname (an estimate of +0.48) and Guyana (an estimate of +0.22).
- Which country in South America has the lowest political stability?
- Venezuela, with an estimate of −1.74 (2024).
- What is the typical political stability of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is an estimate of −0.35: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- How likely the government is to be overthrown or destabilised by violence, unrest or terrorism, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (least stable) to +2.5. Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.