Costa Rica vs Spain: Rule of law index
Costa Rica
0.935
in 2025
Spain
0.947
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
26th
Spain rank
23rd
Rule of law index over time
- Costa Rica
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 0.947 against 0.935 in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.012.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 26th and Spain ranks 23rd of 176 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 15 and Spain in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.569 | 0.392 | 0.177 | Costa Rica |
| 1840s | 0.6069 | 0.392 | 0.2149 | Costa Rica |
| 1850s | 0.566 | 0.4416 | 0.1244 | Costa Rica |
| 1860s | 0.626 | 0.4596 | 0.1664 | Costa Rica |
| 1870s | 0.5625 | 0.534 | 0.0285 | Costa Rica |
| 1880s | 0.6462 | 0.5492 | 0.097 | Costa Rica |
| 1890s | 0.6008 | 0.579 | 0.0218 | Costa Rica |
| 1900s | 0.6186 | 0.579 | 0.0396 | Costa Rica |
| 1910s | 0.5961 | 0.579 | 0.0171 | Costa Rica |
| 1920s | 0.67 | 0.4919 | 0.1781 | Costa Rica |
| 1930s | 0.67 | 0.6381 | 0.0319 | Costa Rica |
| 1940s | 0.6837 | 0.4395 | 0.2442 | Costa Rica |
| 1950s | 0.8942 | 0.435 | 0.4592 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 0.9057 | 0.455 | 0.4507 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 0.9121 | 0.6195 | 0.2926 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 0.9239 | 0.987 | 0.0631 | Spain |
| 1990s | 0.9506 | 0.987 | 0.0364 | Spain |
| 2000s | 0.9437 | 0.9874 | 0.0437 | Spain |
| 2010s | 0.9405 | 0.9754 | 0.0349 | Spain |
| 2020s | 0.9397 | 0.9682 | 0.0285 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rule of law index, Costa Rica or Spain?
- Spain, at 0.947 against 0.935 in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rule of law index between Costa Rica and Spain?
- 0.012, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Spain?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Spain rank globally for rule of law index?
- Costa Rica ranks 26th and Spain ranks 23rd of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Rule of law index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.