Costa Rica vs Jamaica: Competitive elections

Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Jamaica
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Jamaica rank
1st

Competitive elections over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Jamaica
00.20.40.60.81183819312025

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Jamaica, a difference of 0.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 142 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Jamaica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 1st and Jamaica ranks 1st of 197 countries.

Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 15 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Jamaica Difference Ahead
1880s 0 0 0
1890s 0 0 0
1900s 0.9 0 0.9 Costa Rica
1910s 0.8 0 0.8 Costa Rica
1920s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1930s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1940s 0.9 0 0.9 Costa Rica
1950s 1 0 1 Costa Rica
1960s 1 0.8 0.2 Costa Rica
1970s 1 1 0
1980s 1 1 0
1990s 1 1 0
2000s 1 1 0
2010s 1 1 0
2020s 1 1 0

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher competitive elections, Costa Rica or Jamaica?
Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Jamaica as of 2025.
What is the difference in competitive elections between Costa Rica and Jamaica?
0, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Jamaica?
142 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Jamaica rank globally for competitive elections?
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Jamaica ranks 1st of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.