Which has higher liberal democracy index, Costa Rica or Ireland?

Ireland, at 0.822 against 0.809 in Costa Rica as of 2025.

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

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 Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Ireland: Liberal Democracy Index

Costa Rica

0.809

in 2025

Ireland

0.822

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

7th

Ireland rank

6th

Liberal Democracy Index over time

Costa Rica
Ireland

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 0.822 against 0.809 in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.013.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Ireland ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 7th and Ireland ranks 6th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 4 and Ireland in 16.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Ireland	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.157	0.2845	0.1275	Ireland
1840s	0.1726	0.2905	0.1179	Ireland
1850s	0.1694	0.2933	0.1239	Ireland
1860s	0.1698	0.3041	0.1343	Ireland
1870s	0.1756	0.3247	0.1491	Ireland
1880s	0.2054	0.3653	0.1599	Ireland
1890s	0.2134	0.3986	0.1852	Ireland
1900s	0.2055	0.4152	0.2097	Ireland
1910s	0.1923	0.3918	0.1995	Ireland
1920s	0.2397	0.5203	0.2806	Ireland
1930s	0.2464	0.6385	0.3921	Ireland
1940s	0.2392	0.6451	0.4059	Ireland
1950s	0.5813	0.6694	0.0881	Ireland
1960s	0.6361	0.6979	0.0618	Ireland
1970s	0.6878	0.7212	0.0334	Ireland
1980s	0.7878	0.7413	0.0465	Costa Rica
1990s	0.84	0.7889	0.0511	Costa Rica
2000s	0.8463	0.8104	0.0359	Costa Rica
2010s	0.8509	0.8214	0.0295	Costa Rica
2020s	0.8212	0.8275	0.0063	Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher liberal democracy index, Costa Rica or Ireland?: Ireland, at 0.822 against 0.809 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
What is the difference in liberal democracy index between Costa Rica and Ireland?: 0.013, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Ireland?: 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Ireland rank globally for liberal democracy index?: Costa Rica ranks 7th and Ireland ranks 6th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Ireland: Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/liberal-democracy-index/costa-rica/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator: Liberal Democracy Index
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: 30 October 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.