Costa Rica vs Malawi: Electoral democracy

Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Malawi
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Malawi rank
1st

Electoral democracy over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Malawi
00.20.40.60.81183819312025

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Malawi, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 135 shared years of data; in 1891 it was Malawi ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 1st and Malawi ranks 1st of 197 countries.

Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 14 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Malawi Difference Ahead
1890s 0 0 0
1900s 0 0 0
1910s 0 0 0
1920s 0 0 0
1930s 0 0 0
1940s 0.1 0 0.1 Costa Rica
1950s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1960s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1970s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1980s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1990s 1 0.6 0.4 Costa Rica
2000s 1 1 0
2010s 1 1 0
2020s 1 1 0

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher electoral democracy, Costa Rica or Malawi?
Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Malawi as of 2025.
What is the difference in electoral democracy between Costa Rica and Malawi?
0, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malawi?
135 years are reported by both, from 1891 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Malawi rank globally for electoral democracy?
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Malawi ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Electoral democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Electoral democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country using the reduced Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies, one-party autocracies, multi-party autocracies without elected executive, multi-party autocracies, exclusive democracies, male democracies, and electoral democracies (including full democracies or polyarchies).