Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Citizen satisfaction with democracy was 0.0899 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica, 1996–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica is 0.0899, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 88.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica peaked at 1.06 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.0879, in 2019.
That places Costa Rica 60th out of 131 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.7663 | — |
| 1997 | 0.9853 | +28.6% |
| 1998 | 0.8413 | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 0.8652 | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 0.8887 | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 0.8277 | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 1.06 | +28.6% |
| 2003 | 0.6785 | -36.2% |
| 2004 | 0.6024 | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 0.3579 | -40.6% |
| 2006 | 0.3913 | +9.3% |
| 2007 | 0.5007 | +28.0% |
| 2008 | 0.6554 | +30.9% |
| 2009 | 0.8476 | +29.3% |
| 2010 | 0.7703 | -9.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5007 | -35.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4468 | -10.8% |
| 2013 | 0.2864 | -35.9% |
| 2014 | 0.4966 | +73.4% |
| 2015 | 0.3495 | -29.6% |
| 2016 | 0.1239 | -64.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2035 | +64.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0916 | -55.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0879 | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 0.0899 | +2.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.0899 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.303, 30% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.0899 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is -0.5167. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8645 | 0.7663 | 0.9853 | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.6814 | 0.3579 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3357 | 0.0879 | 0.7703 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0899 | 0.0899 | 0.0899 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica?
- Citizen satisfaction with democracy in Costa Rica was 0.0899 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 in 2002.
- What is the lowest citizen satisfaction with democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0879 in 2019.
- How does Costa Rica rank for citizen satisfaction with democracy?
- Costa Rica ranks 60th out of 131 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen satisfaction with democracy rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 88.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen satisfaction with democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens are satisfied with democracy in their own country. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how citizens' satisfaction with democracy.