Country rankings
Countries the United States Has Overthrown
Ukraine has the highest Year of Effort (2,014), followed by Libya (2,011) and Honduras (2,009). Cuba has the lowest (1,898).
Year of EffortBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
32 of 235 countriesYear of Effort
Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.
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All 32 ranked
Highest first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
1,972
Middle half 1,963 – 1,988
Average
1,972
32 countries
Highest
2,014
Ukraine
Lowest
1,898
Cuba
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
33 countries · # = rank by Year of Effort
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ukraine | Yes | 2,014 | Many sources claim that the US supported and helped fund the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, in Ukraine, which resulted in the removal of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (and arguably led to Russia's 2014 annex… |
| 2 |  Libya | Yes | 2,011 | The US was involved in the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, which led to the overthrow of the government of Muammar Gaddafi. The intervention was motivated by the US's desire to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces, but it also had the effect of destabilizing Libya and lead… |
| 3 |  Honduras | Yes | 2,009 | The US has been involved in several coups in Honduras, most notably in 2009, when the CIA helped to overthrow the democratically elected government of Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was accused of being a leftist sympathizer, and the coup was supported by the US government. |
| 4 |  Haiti | Yes | 2,004 | The US has been involved in several coups in Haiti, most notably in 1991, when the CIA helped to overthrow the democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was restored to power in 1994, but was again overthrown in 2004. The US has continued to meddle … |
| 5 |  Iraq | Yes | 2,003 | The US was involved in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which led to the overthrow of the government of Saddam Hussein. The invasion was motivated by the US's belief that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was later found to be false. |
| 6 |  Albania | Yes | 1,991 | The US supported the Kosovo Liberation Army in its fight for independence from Serbia in the 1990s. The US also bombed Serbia in 1999 to stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo. |
| 7 |  Nicaragua | Yes | 1,990 | The US was involved in the Contra War, which was a proxy war between the US and the Soviet Union fought in Nicaragua from 1980 to 1990. The war was motivated by the US's desire to overthrow the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, which was a communist government. |
| 8 |  Panama | Yes | 1,989 | In 1989, the US invaded Panama and overthrew the government of Manuel Noriega. Noriega was a drug trafficker and a US ally, but he had become increasingly independent, and the US decided to remove him from power. |
| 9 |  Fiji | Yes | 1,987 | In 1987, the CIA was involved in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Timoci Bavadra and the installation of a military government led by Sitiveni Rabuka. The coup was motivated by the US's desire to protect its interests in Fiji, which included a military… |
| 10 |  Grenada | Yes | 1,983 | The US invaded Grenada in 1983 to overthrow the government of Maurice Bishop. Bishop was a communist leader who was overthrown by a coup. The US invasion was widely condemned by the international community. |
| 11 |  Chad | Yes | 1,982 | The US supported a coup against the government of Hissène Habré in 1990. Habré was a brutal dictator who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Chadians. |
| 12 |  Jamaica | Yes | 1,980 | In 1976, the CIA was involved in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Michael Manley. Manley was a socialist, and the coup was supported by the US government. |
| 13 |  Afghanistan | Yes | 1,979 | U.S. government provided weapons and funding for the Afghan mujahideen fighting to overthrow the Afghan government |
| 14 |  Portugal | Yes | 1,976 | The US was involved in the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the fascist government of Portugal in 1974. The revolution was motivated by the US's desire to promote democracy in Portugal. |
| 15 |  Australia | Yes | 1,975 | CIA involvement in the Whitlam dismissal is an allegation that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, which culminated in the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. |
| 16 |  Chile | Yes | 1,973 | The US supported the coup against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in 1973. Allende was replaced by Augusto Pinochet, a military dictator who ruled Chile for 17 years. |
| 17 |  Cambodia | Yes | 1,970 | The US supported the Khmer Rouge in their fight against the Vietnamese-backed government of Cambodia in the 1970s. The Khmer Rouge was a brutal regime that killed millions of Cambodians. The US later invaded Cambodia in 1975 to overthrow the Khmer Rouge. |
| 18 |  Greece | Yes | 1,967 | The US has never overthrown the government of Greece. However, the US has been involved in military interventions in Greece, such as the 1947 Greek Civil War. |
| 19 |  Ghana | Yes | 1,966 | The US has never overthrown the government of Ghana. However, the US has been involved in military interventions in Ghana, such as the 1966 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Kwame Nkrumah. |
| 20 |  Indonesia | Yes | 1,965 | From 1965 to 1967, the CIA was involved in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Sukarno and the installation of a military dictatorship led by Suharto. The coup was motivated by the US's fear that Sukarno was a communist sympathizer. |
| 21 |  Brazil | Yes | 1,964 | The US has never directly overthrown the government of Brazil. However, the US has been involved in military interventions in Brazil, such as the 1964 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of João Goulart. |
| 21 |  Bolivia | Yes | 1,964 | In 1971, the CIA helped to overthrow the democratically elected government of Juan José Torres and install a military dictatorship led by Hugo Banzer. The coup was motivated by the US's desire to prevent Bolivia from nationalizing its tin mines, which were owned by US companies. |
| 21 |  Guyana | Yes | 1,964 | The US has never overthrown the government of Guyana. However, the US has been involved in military interventions in Guyana, such as the 1970 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Forbes Burnham. |
| 24 |  Vietnam | Yes | 1,963 | The United States was heavily involved in the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1975. The US supported the South Vietnamese government against the communist North Vietnamese government. However, the US did not support the President of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, and used the CIA to b… |
| 24 |  Ecuador | Yes | 1,963 | The US has never overthrown the government of Ecuador. However, the US has been involved in military interventions in Ecuador, such as the 1965 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of José María Velasco Ibarra. |
| 24 |  Dominican Republic | Yes | 1,963 | The US supported a coup against the democratically elected government of Juan Bosch in 1963. Bosch was replaced by a military dictatorship that lasted for three years. |
| 27 |  DR Congo | Yes | 1,960 | In 1961, the CIA helped to overthrow the democratically elected government of Patrice Lumumba and install a military dictatorship led by Joseph Mobutu. The coup was motivated by the US's fear that Lumumba was a communist sympathizer. |
| 27 |  Laos | Yes | 1,960 | The US was involved in the Vietnam War, which led to the overthrow of the communist government of Laos in 1975. The war was motivated by the US's desire to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. |
| 29 |  Guatemala | Yes | 1,954 | The US supported a coup against the democratically elected government of Jacobo Árbenz in 1954. Árbenz was a leftist leader who was accused of being a communist. The coup was followed by a 36-year civil war that killed over 200,000 Guatemalans. |
| 30 |  Iran | Yes | 1,953 | The US was involved in the 1953 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh and installed a pro-US monarchy led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The coup was motivated by the US's desire to protect its oil interests in Iran. |
| 31 |  Philippines | Yes | 1,899 | The US was involved in the Philippine-American War, which lasted from 1899 to 1902. The war was fought over the issue of Philippine independence, and the US eventually prevailed. The war had a devastating impact on the Philippines, and it is estimated that over 1 million Filip… |
| — |  Venezuela | Yes | 2002; 2026 | The United States has been accused of supporting the 2002 coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The coup was quickly reversed—Chávezwas deposed from office, but reinstated two days later—but it led to a period of political instability in Venezuela. The US has also bee… |
| 32 |  Cuba | Yes | 1,898 | The US has been hostile to Cuba since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The US has imposed an economic embargo on Cuba and has supported numerous attempts to overthrow the Cuban government. |
What correlates with Year of Effort?
Pearson r against 1,512 other country metrics sharing at least 20 countries. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Year of Effort tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Year of Effort tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which country has the highest Year of Effort?
- Ukraine has the highest Year of Effort, at 2,014, followed by Libya (2,011) and Honduras (2,009).
- Which country has the lowest Year of Effort?
- Cuba has the lowest Year of Effort, at 1,898.
- What is the median Year of Effort across countries?
- The median is 1,972 across the 32 countries with data.
- Where does this countries the united states has overthrown data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 10 Times America Helped Overthrow a Foreign Government - History; Instances of the United States overthrowing, or attempting to overthrow, a foreign government since the Second World War.; United States involvement in regime change - Wiki; Stay out of the Regime Change - War on the Rocks.