Key features of democracy in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Key features of democracy was 0.862 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.862
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
10th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.91
in 2010
All-time low
0.138
in 1850
Years of data
188
1838–2025
Key features of democracy in Costa Rica, 1838–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of democracy in Costa Rica stood at 0.862.
That represents a change of down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of democracy in Costa Rica peaked at 0.91 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.138, in 1850.
That places Costa Rica 10th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key features of democracy in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 0.195 | — |
| 1839 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 0.223 | +14.4% |
| 1843 | 0.278 | +24.7% |
| 1844 | 0.263 | -5.4% |
| 1845 | 0.203 | -22.8% |
| 1846 | 0.2 | -1.5% |
| 1847 | 0.182 | -9.0% |
| 1848 | 0.192 | +5.5% |
| 1849 | 0.18 | -6.3% |
| 1850 | 0.138 | -23.3% |
| 1851 | 0.184 | +33.3% |
| 1852 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 0.183 | -0.5% |
| 1860 | 0.154 | -15.8% |
| 1861 | 0.201 | +30.5% |
| 1862 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 0.201 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 0.193 | -4.0% |
| 1869 | 0.154 | -20.2% |
| 1870 | 0.179 | +16.2% |
| 1871 | 0.206 | +15.1% |
| 1872 | 0.283 | +37.4% |
| 1873 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 0.234 | -17.3% |
| 1877 | 0.18 | -23.1% |
| 1878 | 0.215 | +19.4% |
| 1879 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.278 | +29.3% |
| 1881 | 0.278 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.28 | +0.7% |
| 1883 | 0.294 | +5.0% |
| 1884 | 0.294 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.276 | -6.1% |
| 1886 | 0.271 | -1.8% |
| 1887 | 0.294 | +8.5% |
| 1888 | 0.294 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.29 | -1.4% |
| 1890 | 0.282 | -2.8% |
| 1891 | 0.29 | +2.8% |
| 1892 | 0.289 | -0.3% |
| 1893 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.278 | -3.8% |
| 1895 | 0.277 | -0.4% |
| 1896 | 0.284 | +2.5% |
| 1897 | 0.284 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.287 | +1.1% |
| 1899 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.277 | -3.5% |
| 1901 | 0.256 | -7.6% |
| 1902 | 0.26 | +1.6% |
| 1903 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.264 | +1.5% |
| 1910 | 0.27 | +2.3% |
| 1911 | 0.27 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.27 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.315 | +16.7% |
| 1914 | 0.316 | +0.3% |
| 1915 | 0.316 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.316 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.209 | -33.9% |
| 1918 | 0.206 | -1.4% |
| 1919 | 0.22 | +6.8% |
| 1920 | 0.284 | +29.1% |
| 1921 | 0.315 | +10.9% |
| 1922 | 0.315 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.316 | +0.3% |
| 1924 | 0.327 | +3.5% |
| 1925 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.328 | +0.3% |
| 1932 | 0.331 | +0.9% |
| 1933 | 0.332 | +0.3% |
| 1934 | 0.332 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.332 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.322 | -3.0% |
| 1937 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.319 | -0.9% |
| 1941 | 0.32 | +0.3% |
| 1942 | 0.32 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.319 | -0.3% |
| 1944 | 0.322 | +0.9% |
| 1945 | 0.322 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.324 | +0.6% |
| 1947 | 0.324 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.218 | -32.7% |
| 1949 | 0.269 | +23.4% |
| 1950 | 0.564 | +109.7% |
| 1951 | 0.577 | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 0.579 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 0.65 | +12.3% |
| 1954 | 0.721 | +10.9% |
| 1955 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.722 | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 0.729 | +1.0% |
| 1960 | 0.719 | -1.4% |
| 1961 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.721 | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.721 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.731 | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 0.732 | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.732 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.742 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 0.744 | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 0.744 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.744 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.746 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 0.793 | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 0.807 | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 0.81 | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.825 | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 0.826 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 0.848 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.848 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.866 | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 0.867 | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.867 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.866 | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 0.865 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.876 | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 0.876 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.891 | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 0.892 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.892 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.892 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.893 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.892 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.892 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.895 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.894 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 0.894 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.905 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.908 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.908 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.908 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.91 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.907 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.906 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.906 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.902 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.898 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.89 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.893 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.895 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 0.894 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.866 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 0.862 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 0.862 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.862 | +0.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.862 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.786, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.862 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.667, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Key features of democracy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | +109.7% | 0.269 | 0.564 |
| 1872 | +37.4% | 0.206 | 0.283 |
| 1917 | -33.9% | 0.316 | 0.209 |
| 1851 | +33.3% | 0.138 | 0.184 |
| 1948 | -32.7% | 0.324 | 0.218 |
| 1861 | +30.5% | 0.154 | 0.201 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.195 | 0.195 | 0.195 | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.2111 | 0.18 | 0.278 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.1793 | 0.138 | 0.184 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.1908 | 0.154 | 0.201 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.2361 | 0.179 | 0.283 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.2849 | 0.271 | 0.294 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.2847 | 0.277 | 0.29 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.2617 | 0.256 | 0.277 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.2708 | 0.206 | 0.316 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.3192 | 0.284 | 0.327 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.327 | 0.322 | 0.332 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3057 | 0.218 | 0.324 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6705 | 0.564 | 0.729 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7249 | 0.719 | 0.732 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7781 | 0.742 | 0.826 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8646 | 0.848 | 0.876 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8925 | 0.891 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8991 | 0.892 | 0.908 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9032 | 0.89 | 0.91 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8735 | 0.862 | 0.895 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 7 Switzerland 0.882 compare
- 8 Luxembourg 0.869 compare
- 9 France 0.865 compare
- 10 Uruguay 0.862 compare
- 12 Finland 0.852 compare
- 13 Czechia 0.849 compare
- 13 New Zealand 0.849 compare
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 key features of democracy in Costa Rica?
- Key features of democracy in Costa Rica was 0.862 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.91 in 2010.
- What is the lowest key features of democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.138 in 1850.
- How does Costa Rica rank for key features of democracy?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of democracy rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. 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 Key features of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.