Costa Rica vs United States: Free country
Costa Rica
2
in 2025
United States
2
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Free country over time
- Costa Rica
- United States
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 2 against 2 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 53 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 199 countries.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1980s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher free country, Costa Rica or United States?
- Costa Rica, at 2 against 2 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in free country between Costa Rica and United States?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States?
- 53 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United States rank globally for free country?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Free country. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The variable identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between free countries (score 2), partly free countries (score 1), and not free countries (score 0).