Costa Rica vs Panama: Meaningful democratic electoral institutions
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Panama
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Panama rank
1st
Meaningful democratic electoral institutions over time
- Costa Rica
- Panama
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Panama, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 123 shared years of data; in 1903 it was Panama ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Panama ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1950s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | Costa Rica |
| 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 meaningful democratic electoral institutions, Costa Rica or Panama?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Panama as of 2025.
- What is the difference in meaningful democratic electoral institutions between Costa Rica and Panama?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Panama?
- 123 years are reported by both, from 1903 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Panama rank globally for meaningful democratic electoral institutions?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Panama ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Meaningful democratic electoral institutions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether the country is meaningfully an electoral democracy. This includes the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.