Costa Rica vs South Africa: Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote
Costa Rica
100.0%
in 2025
South Africa
100.0%
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
South Africa rank
1st
Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 100.0% against 100.0% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 40.0% | 0.2% | 39.8% | Costa Rica |
| 1910s | 46.0% | 10.0% | 36.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1920s | 50.0% | 10.0% | 40.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1930s | 50.0% | 18.5% | 31.5% | Costa Rica |
| 1940s | 50.0% | 20.0% | 30.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 20.0% | 80.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 20.0% | 80.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 100.0% | 20.0% | 80.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 20.0% | 80.0% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 100.0% | 60.0% | 40.0% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2010s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2020s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adult citizens who have the right to vote, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- Costa Rica, at 100.0% against 100.0% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of adult citizens who have the right to vote between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for share of adult citizens who have the right to vote?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 1st of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of adult citizens who have the right to vote. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of adult citizens which have the legal right to vote in national elections.