Costa Rica vs Mexico: Free and fair elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Mexico
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Mexico rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Mexico, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 112 shared years of data; in 1844 it was Mexico ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Mexico ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 7 and Mexico in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | Mexico |
| 1920s | 0.7 | 0 | 0.7 | Costa Rica |
| 1930s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1940s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1950s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | Costa Rica |
| 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 free and fair elections, Costa Rica or Mexico?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Mexico as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mexico?
- 112 years are reported by both, from 1844 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Mexico rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Mexico 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.