Media Corruption Score in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Media Corruption Score was 1.96 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Media Corruption Score in Costa Rica, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, media corruption score in Costa Rica stood at 1.96.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, media corruption score in Costa Rica peaked at 2.24 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.55, in 1900.
Costa Rica ranks 32nd of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.55 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.55 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.743 | 0.743 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.743 | 0.743 | 0.743 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.03 | 1.01 | 1.24 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.99 | 1.99 | 1.99 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.99 | 1.99 | 1.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.99 | 1.99 | 1.99 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.99 | 1.99 | 1.99 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.12 | 1.99 | 2.14 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 | 2.14 | 2.14 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.04 | 1.96 | 2.24 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.96 | 1.96 | 1.96 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
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 media corruption score in Costa Rica?
- Media corruption score in Costa Rica was 1.96 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest media corruption score recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.24 in 2010.
- What is the lowest media corruption score recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.55 in 1900.
- How does Costa Rica rank for media corruption score?
- Costa Rica ranks 32nd out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is media corruption score 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 V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Media Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Gauges the frequency with which journalists, publishers, or broadcasters accept payments to modify news content, indicating the integrity (or corruption) of the media sphere.