Direct Democracy Index in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Direct Democracy Index was 0.083 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Costa Rica, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for direct democracy index in Costa Rica is 0.083, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% on the previous year and down 57.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Costa Rica peaked at 0.243 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
Costa Rica ranks 62nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0.077 | — |
| 2003 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.077 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.071 | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 0.243 | +242.3% |
| 2008 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.243 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.232 | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 0.22 | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 0.209 | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 0.197 | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 0.186 | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 0.174 | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 0.163 | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 0.151 | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 0.14 | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 0.128 | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 0.117 | -8.6% |
| 2023 | 0.106 | -9.4% |
| 2024 | 0.094 | -11.3% |
| 2025 | 0.083 | -11.7% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.083 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.033, 2.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.083 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.072, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +242.3% | 0.071 | 0.243 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1108 | 0 | 0.243 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2018 | 0.151 | 0.243 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1113 | 0.083 | 0.14 | 6 |
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 direct democracy index in Costa Rica?
- Direct democracy index in Costa Rica was 0.083 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.243 in 2007.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Costa Rica rank for direct democracy index?
- Costa Rica ranks 62nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.