Costa Rica vs United States: Media Corruption Score
Costa Rica
1.96
in 2025
United States
1.85
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
32nd
United States rank
35th
Media Corruption Score over time
- Costa Rica
- United States
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1.96 against 1.85 in United States, a difference of 0.11.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 32nd and United States ranks 35th of 175 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and United States in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.55 | 1.26 | 0.712 | United States |
| 1910s | 0.55 | 1.42 | 0.8716 | United States |
| 1920s | 0.743 | 1.98 | 1.24 | United States |
| 1930s | 0.743 | 1.98 | 1.24 | United States |
| 1940s | 1.03 | 1.98 | 0.9509 | United States |
| 1950s | 1.99 | 1.98 | 0.004 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 1.99 | 1.98 | 0.004 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 1.99 | 2.79 | 0.8086 | United States |
| 1980s | 1.99 | 2.91 | 0.923 | United States |
| 1990s | 2.12 | 2.91 | 0.7862 | United States |
| 2000s | 2.14 | 3.01 | 0.875 | United States |
| 2010s | 2.04 | 2.63 | 0.5902 | United States |
| 2020s | 1.96 | 2.16 | 0.2033 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher media corruption score, Costa Rica or United States?
- Costa Rica, at 1.96 against 1.85 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in media corruption score between Costa Rica and United States?
- 0.11, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United States rank globally for media corruption score?
- Costa Rica ranks 32nd and United States ranks 35th of 175 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Media Corruption Score. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.