Costa Rica vs Switzerland: Liberal democracy
Costa Rica
3
in 2025
Switzerland
3
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Switzerland rank
1st
Liberal democracy over time
- Costa Rica
- Switzerland
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 3 against 3 in Switzerland, a difference of 0.
Across all 188 years both countries report, Switzerland has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1840s | 0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | Switzerland |
| 1850s | 0 | 3 | 3 | Switzerland |
| 1860s | 0 | 3 | 3 | Switzerland |
| 1870s | 0 | 3 | 3 | Switzerland |
| 1880s | 0.1 | 3 | 2.9 | Switzerland |
| 1890s | 0.1 | 3 | 2.9 | Switzerland |
| 1900s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Switzerland |
| 1910s | 0.8 | 3 | 2.2 | Switzerland |
| 1920s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Switzerland |
| 1930s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Switzerland |
| 1940s | 0.8 | 3 | 2.2 | Switzerland |
| 1950s | 2 | 3 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1960s | 2 | 3 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1970s | 2 | 3 | 1 | Switzerland |
| 1980s | 2.1 | 3 | 0.9 | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher liberal democracy, Costa Rica or Switzerland?
- Costa Rica, at 3 against 3 in Switzerland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in liberal democracy between Costa Rica and Switzerland?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Switzerland?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Switzerland rank globally for liberal democracy?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Liberal 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 by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.