Distribution of Democracy Index in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Distribution of Democracy Index was 20 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Distribution of Democracy Index in Costa Rica, 1838–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 20 for distribution of democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 181 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Costa Rica peaked at 20 in 1953 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1838.
That places Costa Rica 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 181 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 1840s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1850s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1860s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1870s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1880s | 8.5 | 6 | 11 | 10 |
| 1890s | 16.8 | 15 | 18 | 10 |
| 1900s | 18 | 18 | 18 | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.7 | 7 | 18 | 10 |
| 1920s | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
| 1930s | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 |
| 1940s | 15.3 | 14 | 19 | 10 |
| 1950s | 19.7 | 19 | 20 | 10 |
| 1960s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1970s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1980s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1990s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 2000s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 2010s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 1 Australia 20 compare
- 1 Austria 20 compare
- 1 Canada 20 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 20 compare
- 1 Chile 20 compare
- 1 Cyprus 20 compare
- 1 Denmark 20 compare
- 1 Finland 20 compare
- 1 France 20 compare
- 1 Germany 20 compare
- 1 Greece 20 compare
- 1 Hungary 20 compare
- 1 Ireland 20 compare
- 1 Italy 20 compare
- 1 Japan 20 compare
- 1 Lithuania 20 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 20 compare
- 1 Mauritius 20 compare
- 1 Mongolia 20 compare
- 1 Netherlands 20 compare
- 1 New Zealand 20 compare
- 1 Norway 20 compare
- 1 Poland 20 compare
- 1 Portugal 20 compare
- 1 Slovakia 20 compare
- 1 Slovenia 20 compare
- 1 Spain 20 compare
- 1 Sweden 20 compare
- 1 Switzerland 20 compare
- 1 Taiwan 20 compare
- 1 Uruguay 20 compare
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 367 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.862 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.915 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.922 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.862 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.606 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.809 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Costa Rica?
- Distribution of democracy index in Costa Rica was 20 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 20 in 1953.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1838.
- How does Costa Rica rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 181 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).