What is public sector corruption index in Costa Rica?

Public sector corruption index in Costa Rica was 0.191 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Costa Rica?

The highest recorded value was 0.328 in 1849.

What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Costa Rica?

The lowest recorded value was 0.141 in 1950.

How does Costa Rica rank for public sector corruption index?

Costa Rica ranks 128th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Costa Rica?

Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

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 Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Public Sector Corruption Index in Costa Rica

Name: Public Sector Corruption 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: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.191 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.191

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

128th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.328

in 1849

All-time low

0.141

in 1950

Years of data

188

1838–2025

Public Sector Corruption Index in Costa Rica, 1838–2025

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

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 0.191 for public sector corruption index in 2025.

The figure is up 20.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in Costa Rica peaked at 0.328 in 1849 and was at its lowest, 0.141, in 1950.

That places Costa Rica 128th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 188 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1830s	0.203	0.203	0.203	2
1840s	0.2155	0.203	0.328	10
1850s	0.328	0.328	0.328	10
1860s	0.2	0.2	0.2	10
1870s	0.2	0.2	0.2	10
1880s	0.2	0.2	0.2	10
1890s	0.265	0.265	0.265	10
1900s	0.2314	0.223	0.265	10
1910s	0.2362	0.223	0.267	10
1920s	0.215	0.215	0.215	10
1930s	0.215	0.215	0.215	10
1940s	0.1777	0.152	0.182	10
1950s	0.141	0.141	0.141	10
1960s	0.141	0.141	0.141	10
1970s	0.147	0.141	0.153	10
1980s	0.153	0.153	0.153	10
1990s	0.153	0.153	0.153	10
2000s	0.153	0.153	0.153	10
2010s	0.1782	0.159	0.191	10
2020s	0.191	0.191	0.191	6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

125 Czechia 0.211 compare
126 Cyprus 0.207 compare
127 Greece 0.2 compare
129 Mauritius 0.19 compare
130 Hungary 0.189 compare
131 Bhutan 0.183 compare
131 Botswana 0.183 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)
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)

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector corruption index in Costa Rica?: Public sector corruption index in Costa Rica was 0.191 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Costa Rica?: The highest recorded value was 0.328 in 1849.
What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Costa Rica?: The lowest recorded value was 0.141 in 1950.
How does Costa Rica rank for public sector corruption index?: Costa Rica ranks 128th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Costa Rica?: Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Public Sector Corruption 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: Public Sector Corruption Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 25,541 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).