Liberal democracy in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Liberal democracy was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
3
in 1989
All-time low
0
in 1838
Years of data
187
1838–2025
Liberal democracy in Costa Rica, 1838–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy in Costa Rica stood at 3. That is the highest value across all 187 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy in Costa Rica peaked at 3 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1838.
That places Costa Rica 1st 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.
Liberal democracy in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 0 | — |
| 1839 | 0 | — |
| 1840 | 0 | — |
| 1841 | 0 | — |
| 1842 | 0 | — |
| 1843 | 0 | — |
| 1844 | 0 | — |
| 1845 | 0 | — |
| 1846 | 0 | — |
| 1847 | 0 | — |
| 1848 | 0 | — |
| 1849 | 0 | — |
| 1850 | 0 | — |
| 1851 | 0 | — |
| 1852 | 0 | — |
| 1853 | 0 | — |
| 1854 | 0 | — |
| 1855 | 0 | — |
| 1856 | 0 | — |
| 1857 | 0 | — |
| 1858 | 0 | — |
| 1859 | 0 | — |
| 1860 | 0 | — |
| 1861 | 0 | — |
| 1862 | 0 | — |
| 1863 | 0 | — |
| 1864 | 0 | — |
| 1865 | 0 | — |
| 1866 | 0 | — |
| 1867 | 0 | — |
| 1868 | 0 | — |
| 1869 | 0 | — |
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1871 | 0 | — |
| 1872 | 0 | — |
| 1873 | 0 | — |
| 1874 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1876 | 0 | — |
| 1877 | 0 | — |
| 1878 | 0 | — |
| 1879 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1881 | 0 | — |
| 1882 | 0 | — |
| 1883 | 0 | — |
| 1884 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1886 | 0 | — |
| 1887 | 0 | — |
| 1888 | 0 | — |
| 1889 | 1 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1891 | 0 | — |
| 1892 | 0 | — |
| 1893 | 0 | — |
| 1894 | 1 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1896 | 0 | — |
| 1897 | 0 | — |
| 1898 | 0 | — |
| 1899 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 1 | — |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1920 | 1 | — |
| 1921 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 2 | — |
| 1951 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 3 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 3 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8889 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 1 Australia 3 compare
- 1 Austria 3 compare
- 1 Barbados 3 compare
- 1 Belgium 3 compare
- 1 Chile 3 compare
- 1 Cyprus 3 compare
- 1 Czechia 3 compare
- 1 Denmark 3 compare
- 1 Estonia 3 compare
- 1 Finland 3 compare
- 1 France 3 compare
- 1 Germany 3 compare
- 1 Iceland 3 compare
- 1 Ireland 3 compare
- 1 Italy 3 compare
- 1 Japan 3 compare
- 1 Latvia 3 compare
- 1 Lithuania 3 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 3 compare
- 1 Netherlands 3 compare
- 1 New Zealand 3 compare
- 1 Norway 3 compare
- 1 Seychelles 3 compare
- 1 South Korea 3 compare
- 1 Spain 3 compare
- 1 Sweden 3 compare
- 1 Switzerland 3 compare
- 1 Taiwan 3 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 3 compare
- 1 Uruguay 3 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 liberal democracy in Costa Rica?
- Liberal democracy in Costa Rica was 3 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1989.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1838.
- How does Costa Rica rank for liberal democracy?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 187 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country by distinguishing between closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal democracies.