Which has higher varieties of democracy, Costa Rica or New Zealand?

Costa Rica, at 0.862 against 0.849 in New Zealand as of 2025.

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

173 years are reported by both, from 1853 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

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

Costa Rica vs New Zealand: Varieties of democracy

Costa Rica

0.862

in 2025

New Zealand

0.849

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

10th

New Zealand rank

13th

Varieties of democracy over time

Costa Rica
New Zealand

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 0.862 against 0.849 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.013.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 173 shared years of data; in 1853 it was New Zealand ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 10th and New Zealand ranks 13th of 176 countries.

Across the 18 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 5 and New Zealand in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	New Zealand	Difference	Ahead
1850s	0.1839	0.3887	0.2049	New Zealand
1860s	0.1908	0.4969	0.3061	New Zealand
1870s	0.2361	0.5203	0.2842	New Zealand
1880s	0.2849	0.5718	0.2869	New Zealand
1890s	0.2847	0.7086	0.4239	New Zealand
1900s	0.2617	0.7947	0.533	New Zealand
1910s	0.2708	0.7798	0.509	New Zealand
1920s	0.3192	0.8035	0.4843	New Zealand
1930s	0.327	0.7993	0.4723	New Zealand
1940s	0.3057	0.7843	0.4786	New Zealand
1950s	0.6705	0.7963	0.1258	New Zealand
1960s	0.7249	0.8296	0.1047	New Zealand
1970s	0.7781	0.8481	0.07	New Zealand
1980s	0.8646	0.8585	0.0061	Costa Rica
1990s	0.8925	0.8748	0.0177	Costa Rica
2000s	0.8991	0.8811	0.018	Costa Rica
2010s	0.9032	0.8868	0.0164	Costa Rica
2020s	0.8735	0.8718	0.0017	Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher varieties of democracy, Costa Rica or New Zealand?: Costa Rica, at 0.862 against 0.849 in New Zealand as of 2025.
What is the difference in varieties of democracy between Costa Rica and New Zealand?: 0.013, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and New Zealand?: 173 years are reported by both, from 1853 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and New Zealand rank globally for varieties of democracy?: Costa Rica ranks 10th and New Zealand ranks 13th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Varieties of democracy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs New Zealand: Varieties of democracy. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/varieties-democracy-vdem/costa-rica/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.