Updated data and new insight: a new version of WTH’s authoritarian regime type dataset

This article presents an updated and extended version of the widely used Wahman, Teorell, and Hadenius (WTH) (2013) dataset on autocratic regime types. While maintaining the original WTH framework, this update introduces a new democracy threshold based on the V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index (EDI) and provides novel regime classifications for the period 1946–2024, providing a reliable tool for analysing long-term autocratic trends, regime transitions, and shifts between autocracy and democracy. We use the updated dataset to shed light on the current wave of autocratization and revival of military autocracy, particularly in Africa.