Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Costa Rica or Estonia?

Estonia, at 0.837 against 0.809 in Costa Rica as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Estonia?

188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Estonia: Key features of liberal democracy

Costa Rica

0.809

in 2025

Estonia

0.837

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

7th

Estonia rank

5th

Key features of liberal democracy over time

Costa Rica
Estonia

How they compare

Estonia currently reports 0.837 against 0.809 in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.028.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 7th and Estonia ranks 5th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 17 and Estonia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Estonia	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.157	0.015	0.142	Costa Rica
1840s	0.1726	0.0152	0.1574	Costa Rica
1850s	0.1694	0.0215	0.1479	Costa Rica
1860s	0.1698	0.0637	0.1061	Costa Rica
1870s	0.1756	0.0866	0.089	Costa Rica
1880s	0.2054	0.0411	0.1643	Costa Rica
1890s	0.2134	0.0433	0.1701	Costa Rica
1900s	0.2055	0.0499	0.1556	Costa Rica
1910s	0.1923	0.1173	0.075	Costa Rica
1920s	0.2397	0.5859	0.3462	Estonia
1930s	0.2464	0.3528	0.1064	Estonia
1940s	0.2392	0.0144	0.2248	Costa Rica
1950s	0.5813	0.0196	0.5617	Costa Rica
1960s	0.6361	0.0232	0.6129	Costa Rica
1970s	0.6878	0.0247	0.6631	Costa Rica
1980s	0.7878	0.0352	0.7526	Costa Rica
1990s	0.84	0.7215	0.1185	Costa Rica
2000s	0.8463	0.8104	0.0359	Costa Rica
2010s	0.8509	0.8441	0.0068	Costa Rica
2020s	0.8212	0.8463	0.0252	Estonia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher key features of liberal democracy, Costa Rica or Estonia?: Estonia, at 0.837 against 0.809 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
What is the difference in key features of liberal democracy between Costa Rica and Estonia?: 0.028, with Estonia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Estonia?: 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Estonia rank globally for key features of liberal democracy?: Costa Rica ranks 7th and Estonia ranks 5th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Estonia: Key features of liberal democracy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/key-features-of-liberal-democracy/costa-rica/estonia/

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About this data

Indicator: Key features of liberal democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.