Costa Rica vs Sao Tome and Principe: Electoral democracy
Electoral democracy over time
- Costa Rica
- Sao Tome and Principe
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Sao Tome and Principe, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Sao Tome and Principe ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Sao Tome and Principe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 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 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 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 Sao Tome and Principe?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Sao Tome and Principe as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electoral democracy between Costa Rica and Sao Tome and Principe?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Sao Tome and Principe?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Sao Tome and Principe rank globally for electoral democracy?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Sao Tome and Principe ranks 1st of 198 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
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).