Which African Countries Have Never Had a Successful Military Coup?

Military coups have shaped the political history of numerous African countries since independence. From West Africa’s repeated changes of government by military officers to political upheavals in Central and East Africa, the continent has experienced successful takeovers, failed plots and attempted coups across several decades.

However, some countries have maintained constitutional government without experiencing a recorded successful military coup since independence or the beginning of their modern sovereignty.

A study published in Frontiers in Political Science in 2023 found that, as of the end of 2022, nine African countries had avoided all coup attempts. A separate academic analysis published in 2024 identified a broader group of countries with no recorded successful coup. The distinction matters because a country can experience an attempted coup without its government being overthrown.

1. Botswana

Botswana became independent from Britain on September 30, 1966, after previously being administered as the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Since independence, the country has maintained civilian government without a successful military coup.

Its political history stands out in a region where several neighbouring countries have experienced military interventions or prolonged periods of authoritarian rule. Botswana's first president, Seretse Khama, led the country from independence until his death in 1980.

An academic account of Botswana's history notes that the country's early leaders initially saw little need for a conventional army because they perceived no major immediate external military threat.

2. Mauritius

Mauritius gained independence from Britain on March 12, 1968. The Indian Ocean island nation has maintained an elected civilian political system since independence.

Its history includes competitive elections, changes of governing parties and coalition governments, rather than a successful military seizure of national power. Mauritius also appears in academic research identifying African countries without recorded successful coups.

The country is a useful example of a state whose political changes have taken place through civilian institutions rather than military takeovers.

3. Kenya

Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and became a republic in 1964. It has not experienced a successful military coup.

The most prominent military takeover attempt occurred on August 1, 1982, when a group of air force personnel attempted to overthrow President Daniel arap Moi's government. The attempt failed, and the government remained in power.

That episode is an important distinction in Kenya's political history: the country experienced a serious coup attempt, but the military did not successfully take control of the state. Kenya is included among the countries without a recorded successful coup in the academic analysis published in 2024.

4. Namibia

Namibia became independent on March 21, 1990. Before independence, it was administered by South Africa, following an earlier period of German colonial rule.

Since independence, Namibia has maintained civilian government without a recorded successful military coup. Its political history is shorter than that of many African states that gained independence during the 1950s and 1960s, so comparisons must account for the number of years each country has existed as a sovereign state.

Namibia is included in academic research identifying African countries that have avoided successful coups.

5. Malawi

Malawi became independent on July 6, 1964, under the name Nyasaland's successor state, the Republic of Malawi. The country has experienced major political changes, including the transition from Hastings Kamuzu Banda's long rule to multiparty politics in the 1990s.

Despite those changes, Malawi has not experienced a recorded successful military coup. It is included in the academic list of African countries without successful coups, although this does not mean the country has been free of political tension or attempted plots.

6. Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde gained independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975. The Atlantic island country has maintained civilian political institutions without a recorded successful military coup.

Its political history includes a transition to multiparty democracy in 1991, when the Movement for Democracy won the country's first multiparty legislative election. This was a change in political leadership through elections, not a military takeover.

Cabo Verde is one of the countries identified by the 2023 research as having avoided even coup attempts through the end of 2022.

7. Tanzania

Tanganyika became independent in 1961, while Zanzibar gained independence in 1963. The two united in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania has experienced political disputes and attempted coups, but no successful military coup has overthrown its national government. A failed coup attempt in 1983 is among the events recorded in accounts of its political history.

The country is included in the 2024 academic analysis of African states without recorded successful coups.

8. Zambia

Zambia gained independence from Britain on October 24, 1964. Its political history includes a one-party period, the return to multiparty elections in 1991 and several peaceful transfers of power between political parties.

The country has faced attempted military interventions, including a failed coup attempt in 1997. The government survived, and Zambia has not recorded a successful military coup.

Its inclusion in academic coup datasets highlights the difference between attempted interventions and successful takeovers.

9. South Africa

South Africa's modern democratic era began with the first universal-suffrage national elections in April 1994, ending apartheid-era white minority rule.

The country has not experienced a successful military coup in its post-apartheid democratic period. However, its political history includes earlier eras that differ substantially from those of newly independent African states, making the starting point of any comparison important.

South Africa is included in academic analyses of African countries without recorded successful coups.

10. Mozambique

Mozambique became independent from Portugal on June 25, 1975. Its post-independence history was shaped by a prolonged civil war between the FRELIMO government and RENAMO, which ended with a peace agreement in 1992.

The country has experienced armed conflict and political instability, but these events are not equivalent to a successful military coup that replaces the national government with a military regime. Mozambique appears in the 2024 academic analysis of countries without recorded successful coups.