Which has higher legislative checks on government index, Costa Rica or Denmark?

Denmark, at 0.977 against 0.956 in Costa Rica as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Denmark?

186 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Legislative Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Denmark: Legislative Checks on Government Index

Costa Rica

0.956

in 2025

Denmark

0.977

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

7th

Denmark rank

4th

Legislative Checks on Government Index over time

Costa Rica
Denmark

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.977 against 0.956 in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.021.

Across all 186 years both countries report, Denmark has been ahead every year.

Costa Rica ranks 7th and Denmark ranks 4th of 174 countries.

Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Denmark	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.389	0.558	0.169	Denmark
1840s	0.389	0.6051	0.2161	Denmark
1850s	0.389	0.848	0.459	Denmark
1860s	0.389	0.848	0.459	Denmark
1870s	0.389	0.848	0.459	Denmark
1880s	0.389	0.848	0.459	Denmark
1890s	0.473	0.848	0.375	Denmark
1900s	0.4832	0.8608	0.3776	Denmark
1910s	0.4152	0.864	0.4488	Denmark
1920s	0.504	0.943	0.439	Denmark
1930s	0.535	0.943	0.408	Denmark
1940s	0.5973	0.9492	0.352	Denmark
1950s	0.8256	0.9724	0.1468	Denmark
1960s	0.847	0.982	0.135	Denmark
1970s	0.8623	0.982	0.1197	Denmark
1980s	0.8964	0.982	0.0856	Denmark
1990s	0.9376	0.982	0.0444	Denmark
2000s	0.946	0.982	0.036	Denmark
2010s	0.9491	0.982	0.0329	Denmark
2020s	0.956	0.9755	0.0195	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher legislative checks on government index, Costa Rica or Denmark?: Denmark, at 0.977 against 0.956 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
What is the difference in legislative checks on government index between Costa Rica and Denmark?: 0.021, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Denmark?: 186 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Denmark rank globally for legislative checks on government index?: Costa Rica ranks 7th and Denmark ranks 4th of 174 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Legislative Checks on Government Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Legislative Checks on Government Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 23,601 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which the legislature, including opposition parties, questions executive officials and oversees and investigates the executive.