Costa Rica vs Uruguay: Free and fair elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Uruguay
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Uruguay rank
1st
Free and fair elections over time
- Costa Rica
- Uruguay
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Uruguay, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 144 shared years of data; in 1844 it was Uruguay ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Uruguay ranks 1st of 172 countries.
Across the 17 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Uruguay in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Uruguay | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1880s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 | Uruguay |
| 1900s | 1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | Costa Rica |
| 1910s | 0.7778 | 1 | 0.2222 | Uruguay |
| 1920s | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 | Uruguay |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 free and fair elections, Costa Rica or Uruguay?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Uruguay as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free and fair elections between Costa Rica and Uruguay?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Uruguay?
- 144 years are reported by both, from 1844 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Uruguay rank globally for free and fair elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Uruguay 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.