Freedom of expression index in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Freedom of expression index was 0.915 in 2025. β² Rising
Latest (2025)
0.915
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
22nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.965
in 2010
All-time low
0.323
in 1838
Years of data
188
1838β2025
Freedom of expression index in Costa Rica, 1838β2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of expression index in Costa Rica stood at 0.915.
The figure is down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Costa Rica peaked at 0.965 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.323, in 1838.
Costa Rica ranks 22nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 188 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.323 | 0.323 | 0.323 | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.5378 | 0.323 | 0.619 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.5686 | 0.555 | 0.691 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.691 | 0.691 | 0.691 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.5807 | 0.576 | 0.623 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.6643 | 0.576 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.689 | 0.689 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.7082 | 0.689 | 0.713 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.6884 | 0.628 | 0.713 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7089 | 0.708 | 0.709 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.708 | 0.708 | 0.708 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.6626 | 0.55 | 0.681 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.9045 | 0.882 | 0.931 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.908 | 0.908 | 0.908 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9212 | 0.917 | 0.927 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.962 | 0.962 | 0.962 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.962 | 0.962 | 0.962 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9624 | 0.961 | 0.963 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9566 | 0.944 | 0.965 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9282 | 0.915 | 0.952 | 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 asy 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 367 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.931 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.809 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.862 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.922 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is freedom of expression index in Costa Rica?
- Freedom of expression index in Costa Rica was 0.915 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.965 in 2010.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.323 in 1838.
- How does Costa Rica rank for freedom of expression index?
- Costa Rica ranks 22nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of expression index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).