What is liberal democracy index in Costa Rica?

Liberal democracy index in Costa Rica was 0.809 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?

The highest recorded value was 0.857 in 2010.

What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?

The lowest recorded value was 0.123 in 1918.

How does Costa Rica rank for liberal democracy index?

Costa Rica ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Costa Rica?

Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Liberal Democracy Index in Costa Rica

Name: Liberal Democracy Index in Costa Rica
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Costa Rica: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.809 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.809

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

7th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.857

in 2010

All-time low

0.123

in 1918

Years of data

188

1838–2025

Liberal Democracy Index in Costa Rica, 1838–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for liberal democracy index in Costa Rica is 0.809, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Costa Rica peaked at 0.857 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.123, in 1918.

That places Costa Rica 7th 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.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1830s	0.157	0.157	0.157	2
1840s	0.1726	0.157	0.198	10
1850s	0.1694	0.157	0.171	10
1860s	0.1698	0.156	0.173	10
1870s	0.1756	0.156	0.192	10
1880s	0.2054	0.189	0.216	10
1890s	0.2134	0.208	0.226	10
1900s	0.2055	0.199	0.207	10
1910s	0.1923	0.123	0.229	10
1920s	0.2397	0.225	0.243	10
1930s	0.2464	0.244	0.249	10
1940s	0.2392	0.161	0.254	10
1950s	0.5813	0.489	0.637	10
1960s	0.6361	0.629	0.644	10
1970s	0.6878	0.653	0.738	10
1980s	0.7878	0.764	0.812	10
1990s	0.84	0.835	0.841	10
2000s	0.8463	0.839	0.855	10
2010s	0.8509	0.834	0.857	10
2020s	0.8212	0.809	0.844	6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

4 Switzerland 0.843 compare
5 Estonia 0.837 compare
6 Ireland 0.822 compare
8 Finland 0.808 compare
9 France 0.8 compare
10 Belgium 0.794 compare
10 Czechia 0.794 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)
Liberal democracy 3 (2025)
Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
Human Rights Index 0.931 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.606 (2025)
Key features of human rights 0.931 (2025)
Key features of electoral democracy 0.862 (2025)

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is liberal democracy index in Costa Rica?: Liberal democracy index in Costa Rica was 0.809 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?: The highest recorded value was 0.857 in 2010.
What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Costa Rica?: The lowest recorded value was 0.123 in 1918.
How does Costa Rica rank for liberal democracy index?: Costa Rica ranks 7th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Costa Rica?: Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. 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

Indicator: Liberal Democracy Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 28,671 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.