Which has higher strong elected local governments index, Costa Rica or Poland?

Costa Rica, at 0.973 against 0.972 in Poland as of 2025.

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

133 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 Strong Elected Local Governments Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Poland: Strong Elected Local Governments Index

Costa Rica

0.973

in 2025

Poland

0.972

in 2025

Costa Rica rank

29th

Poland rank

30th

Strong Elected Local Governments Index over time

Costa Rica
Poland

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 0.973 against 0.972 in Poland, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 9 times across 133 shared years of data; in 1838 it was Poland ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 29th and Poland ranks 30th of 175 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 11 and Poland in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Poland	Difference	Ahead
1830s	0	0.016	0.016	Poland
1840s	0.0481	0.016	0.0321	Costa Rica
1850s	0.3939	0.016	0.3779	Costa Rica
1860s	0.263	0.0216	0.2414	Costa Rica
1910s	0.513	0.273	0.24	Costa Rica
1920s	0.513	0.3975	0.1155	Costa Rica
1930s	0.513	0.303	0.21	Costa Rica
1940s	0.52	0.032	0.488	Costa Rica
1950s	0.956	0.063	0.893	Costa Rica
1960s	0.956	0.063	0.893	Costa Rica
1970s	0.956	0.063	0.893	Costa Rica
1980s	0.956	0.063	0.893	Costa Rica
1990s	0.9665	0.9698	0.0033	Poland
2000s	0.977	0.9872	0.0102	Poland
2010s	0.9771	0.9938	0.0167	Poland
2020s	0.973	0.98	0.007	Poland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher strong elected local governments index, Costa Rica or Poland?: Costa Rica, at 0.973 against 0.972 in Poland as of 2025.
What is the difference in strong elected local governments index between Costa Rica and Poland?: 0.001, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Poland?: 133 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
How do Costa Rica and Poland rank globally for strong elected local governments index?: Costa Rica ranks 29th and Poland ranks 30th of 175 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Strong Elected Local Governments Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Strong Elected Local Governments Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 175 places, 25,933 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which elected local governments exist, and they operate without interference from local unelected bodies.