Costa Rica vs Malawi: Free and fair elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Malawi
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Malawi rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Costa Rica
- Malawi
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Malawi, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Malawi ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Malawi ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher free and fair elections, Costa Rica or Malawi?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Malawi as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Costa Rica and Malawi?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malawi?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Malawi rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Malawi ranks 1st of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free and fair elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of whether national elections were free and fair or not.