Costa Rica vs United States: Competitive elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Costa Rica
- United States
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 188 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 197 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1840s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1850s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1860s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1870s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1880s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1890s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1900s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United States |
| 1910s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | United States |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United States |
| 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 States?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Costa Rica and United States?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United States rank globally for competitive elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States 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.