Costa Rica vs United Kingdom: Competitive elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
United Kingdom
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
United Kingdom rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Costa Rica
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.
Across all 188 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and United Kingdom ranks 1st of 197 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 United Kingdom?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Costa Rica and United Kingdom?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United Kingdom?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United Kingdom rank globally for competitive elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and United Kingdom 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
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.