By: Staff Writer
November 3, 2026
A study conducted by Corporación Latinobarómetro revealed that support for democracy was at its lowest in Latin America between 2018 and 2023, with support reaching up to just 49 percent during that time span.
The report said that after 30 years of monitoring democracy and looking at the three-decade period from 1995 to 2026, democracy was at its lowest point between 2018 and 2023, with support reaching only 48 percent to 49 percent. “These six years largely coincided with the pandemic (2020–2023) and, more significantly, followed the end of the 2010s—a decade marked by persistent negative economic news and the social upheavals that erupted in three countries in the region in 2019: Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador. These societies have yet to see a response to the demands voiced during those social upheavals. The data from 2026 reflect this; in other words, the weight of the discontent remains.
“The political history of the region has shifted significantly since the end of the pandemic. The health crisis was followed by a wave of political change—transformations globally, shifts in both the form and substance of how politics is conducted, and new outcomes in the region’s presidential elections. As will be shown in the following brief overview of the 12 elections that have taken place since 2024, all sorts of exceptional developments have occurred.”
The report continued: “Despite the dire global news—the U.S. war with Iran, beginning in January 2026, with the consequent rise in oil prices that hits everyone who uses it; the protracted war waged by Russia against Ukraine, which began in February 2022; the genocide in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli government starting in October 2023; and the presidency of Donald Trump, beginning in January 2025, with his redefinition of globalization, global trade, and multilateralism, which alters the approach to foreign policy—Latin American democracy does not appear to be affected by these global events, even though they do impact the economy of Latin America.
“Overall, in 2024, democracy recovers four percentage points, rising from 48 percent in 2023 to 52 percent in 2024—a figure that is confirmed in 2026.”
The report also said: “The countries with the highest levels of support for democracy are, first and foremost, Argentina (73 percent). It is followed by Uruguay (64 percent), as well as Costa Rica and Chile (63 percent). Venezuela also shows a figure of 63 percent. Historically, a large percentage of the Venezuelan population has supported democracy—a fact that is paradoxical, given that the country is under a dictatorship.
“The country with the least support for democracy is Guatemala (35 percent), followed by Brazil (41 percent), Honduras (42 percent), and Ecuador (43 percent). In these countries, support for democracy is twenty percentage points lower than in the countries at the top of the list. This is why it is difficult to speak of “democracy in Latin America.” To be more precise, it is better to refer to a specific country or a group of countries that have shown similar patterns. Whenever we discuss regional averages, this must always be taken into account.
“The recovery that occurs in 2024 and persists into 2026 suggests that global events, while not affecting support for democracy, do impact governments and their economies.”