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

Costa Rica, at 0.931 against 0.929 in New Zealand as of 2025.

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

173 years are reported by both, from 1853 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.

Costa Rica vs New Zealand: Political Civil Liberties Index

Costa Rica

0.931

in 2025

New Zealand

0.929

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

17th

New Zealand rank

20th

Political Civil Liberties Index over time

Costa Rica
New Zealand

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 0.931 against 0.929 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.002.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 173 shared years of data; in 1853 it was New Zealand ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 17th and New Zealand ranks 20th of 176 countries.

Across the 18 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 4 and New Zealand in 14.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	New Zealand	Difference	Ahead
1850s	0.703	0.864	0.161	New Zealand
1860s	0.703	0.8954	0.1924	New Zealand
1870s	0.703	0.9	0.197	New Zealand
1880s	0.7161	0.9	0.1839	New Zealand
1890s	0.725	0.9029	0.1779	New Zealand
1900s	0.727	0.9276	0.2006	New Zealand
1910s	0.6973	0.8943	0.197	New Zealand
1920s	0.7357	0.9215	0.1858	New Zealand
1930s	0.7179	0.9138	0.1959	New Zealand
1940s	0.6835	0.8882	0.2047	New Zealand
1950s	0.8667	0.9122	0.0455	New Zealand
1960s	0.884	0.9414	0.0574	New Zealand
1970s	0.9158	0.9442	0.0284	New Zealand
1980s	0.9718	0.9555	0.0163	Costa Rica
1990s	0.978	0.964	0.014	Costa Rica
2000s	0.9774	0.964	0.0134	Costa Rica
2010s	0.9715	0.9594	0.0121	Costa Rica
2020s	0.9422	0.9458	0.0037	New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political civil liberties index, Costa Rica or New Zealand?: Costa Rica, at 0.931 against 0.929 in New Zealand as of 2025.
What is the difference in political civil liberties index between Costa Rica and New Zealand?: 0.002, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and New Zealand?: 173 years are reported by both, from 1853 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and New Zealand rank globally for political civil liberties index?: Costa Rica ranks 17th and New Zealand ranks 20th 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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Costa Rica vs New Zealand: Political Civil Liberties Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/costa-rica/new-zealand/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/political-civil-liberties-index/costa-rica/new-zealand/">Costa Rica vs New Zealand: 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.