Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Universal right to vote in practice
Costa Rica
2
in 2025
El Salvador
2
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
El Salvador rank
1st
Universal right to vote in practice over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 2 against 2 in El Salvador, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 188 shared years of data; in 1838 it was El Salvador ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and El Salvador ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 3 and El Salvador in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | β |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | β |
| 1850s | 0 | 0 | 0 | β |
| 1860s | 0 | 0 | 0 | β |
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | β |
| 1880s | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | El Salvador |
| 1890s | 0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | El Salvador |
| 1900s | 0 | 1 | 1 | El Salvador |
| 1910s | 0 | 1 | 1 | El Salvador |
| 1920s | 0 | 1 | 1 | El Salvador |
| 1930s | 0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | El Salvador |
| 1940s | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | El Salvador |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 0 | β |
| 1960s | 2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 0 | β |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | β |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 | β |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 0 | β |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher universal right to vote in practice, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 2 against 2 in El Salvador as of 2025.
- What is the difference in universal right to vote in practice between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for universal right to vote in practice?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and El Salvador ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Universal right to vote in practice. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.