Which has higher political civil liberties index, Brazil or Costa Rica?

Brazil, at 0.932 against 0.931 in Costa Rica as of 2025.

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

188 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 Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Brazil vs Costa Rica: Political Civil Liberties Index

Brazil

0.932

in 2025

Costa Rica

0.931

in 2025

Brazil rank

16th

Costa Rica rank

17th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Brazil
Costa Rica

How they compare

Brazil currently reports 0.932 against 0.931 in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Brazil ranks 16th and Costa Rica ranks 17th of 176 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 4 and Costa Rica in 16.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Brazil	Costa Rica	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0.705	0.708	0.003	Costa Rica
1840s	0.705	0.7031	0.0019	Brazil
1850s	0.705	0.703	0.002	Brazil
1860s	0.705	0.703	0.002	Brazil
1870s	0.705	0.703	0.002	Brazil
1880s	0.681	0.7161	0.0351	Costa Rica
1890s	0.4746	0.725	0.2504	Costa Rica
1900s	0.443	0.727	0.284	Costa Rica
1910s	0.461	0.6973	0.2363	Costa Rica
1920s	0.456	0.7357	0.2797	Costa Rica
1930s	0.2493	0.7179	0.4686	Costa Rica
1940s	0.3321	0.6835	0.3514	Costa Rica
1950s	0.63	0.8667	0.2367	Costa Rica
1960s	0.3561	0.884	0.5279	Costa Rica
1970s	0.1306	0.9158	0.7852	Costa Rica
1980s	0.5839	0.9718	0.3879	Costa Rica
1990s	0.9482	0.978	0.0298	Costa Rica
2000s	0.9546	0.9774	0.0228	Costa Rica
2010s	0.9156	0.9715	0.0559	Costa Rica
2020s	0.8705	0.9422	0.0717	Costa Rica

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Brazil or Costa Rica?: Brazil, at 0.932 against 0.931 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Brazil and Costa Rica?: 0.001, with Brazil ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and Costa Rica?: 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
How do Brazil and Costa Rica rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Brazil ranks 16th and Costa Rica ranks 17th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Brazil vs Costa Rica: Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/brazil/costa-rica/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/brazil/costa-rica/">Brazil vs Costa Rica: Political Civil Liberties Index</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Political Civil Liberties Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,211 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which people enjoy the freedoms of expression and association.