What is clientelism index in Costa Rica?

Clientelism index in Costa Rica was 0.129 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Costa Rica?

The highest recorded value was 0.802 in 1919.

What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Costa Rica?

The lowest recorded value was 0.105 in 2015.

How does Costa Rica rank for clientelism index?

Costa Rica ranks 149th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is clientelism index rising or falling in Costa Rica?

Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Costa Rica data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Clientelism Index in Costa Rica

Name: Clientelism Index in Costa Rica
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Costa Rica: Clientelism Index was 0.129 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.129

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

149th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.802

in 1919

All-time low

0.105

in 2015

Years of data

188

1838–2025

Clientelism Index in Costa Rica, 1838–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 0.129 for clientelism index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, clientelism index in Costa Rica peaked at 0.802 in 1919 and was at its lowest, 0.105, in 2015.

That places Costa Rica 149th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 188 years of available data.

Clientelism Index in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Clientelism Index in Costa Rica, 1838 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1838	0.735	—
1839	0.735	+0.0%
1840	0.735	+0.0%
1841	0.735	+0.0%
1842	0.735	+0.0%
1843	0.735	+0.0%
1844	0.738	+0.4%
1845	0.741	+0.4%
1846	0.75	+1.2%
1847	0.75	+0.0%
1848	0.75	+0.0%
1849	0.75	+0.0%
1850	0.75	+0.0%
1851	0.75	+0.0%
1852	0.75	+0.0%
1853	0.75	+0.0%
1854	0.75	+0.0%
1855	0.75	+0.0%
1856	0.75	+0.0%
1857	0.75	+0.0%
1858	0.75	+0.0%
1859	0.75	+0.0%
1860	0.75	+0.0%
1861	0.75	+0.0%
1862	0.75	+0.0%
1863	0.75	+0.0%
1864	0.75	+0.0%
1865	0.75	+0.0%
1866	0.75	+0.0%
1867	0.75	+0.0%
1868	0.75	+0.0%
1869	0.75	+0.0%
1870	0.75	+0.0%
1871	0.751	+0.1%
1872	0.753	+0.3%
1873	0.753	+0.0%
1874	0.753	+0.0%
1875	0.753	+0.0%
1876	0.753	+0.0%
1877	0.753	+0.0%
1878	0.753	+0.0%
1879	0.753	+0.0%
1880	0.705	-6.4%
1881	0.695	-1.4%
1882	0.695	+0.0%
1883	0.695	+0.0%
1884	0.695	+0.0%
1885	0.695	+0.0%
1886	0.695	+0.0%
1887	0.695	+0.0%
1888	0.695	+0.0%
1889	0.695	+0.0%
1890	0.679	-2.3%
1891	0.679	+0.0%
1892	0.677	-0.3%
1893	0.677	+0.0%
1894	0.67	-1.0%
1895	0.668	-0.3%
1896	0.674	+0.9%
1897	0.674	+0.0%
1898	0.678	+0.6%
1899	0.678	+0.0%
1900	0.678	+0.0%
1901	0.678	+0.0%
1902	0.664	-2.1%
1903	0.664	+0.0%
1904	0.664	+0.0%
1905	0.664	+0.0%
1906	0.664	+0.0%
1907	0.664	+0.0%
1908	0.664	+0.0%
1909	0.697	+5.0%
1910	0.76	+9.0%
1911	0.76	+0.0%
1912	0.76	+0.0%
1913	0.761	+0.1%
1914	0.775	+1.8%
1915	0.775	+0.0%
1916	0.775	+0.0%
1917	0.787	+1.5%
1918	0.783	-0.5%
1919	0.802	+2.4%
1920	0.773	-3.6%
1921	0.773	+0.0%
1922	0.773	+0.0%
1923	0.774	+0.1%
1924	0.789	+1.9%
1925	0.789	+0.0%
1926	0.789	+0.0%
1927	0.789	+0.0%
1928	0.794	+0.6%
1929	0.795	+0.1%
1930	0.798	+0.4%
1931	0.731	-8.4%
1932	0.721	-1.4%
1933	0.72	-0.1%
1934	0.72	+0.0%
1935	0.72	+0.0%
1936	0.724	+0.6%
1937	0.724	+0.0%
1938	0.724	+0.0%
1939	0.724	+0.0%
1940	0.72	-0.6%
1941	0.722	+0.3%
1942	0.722	+0.0%
1943	0.722	+0.0%
1944	0.662	-8.3%
1945	0.654	-1.2%
1946	0.654	+0.0%
1947	0.654	+0.0%
1948	0.562	-14.1%
1949	0.43	-23.5%
1950	0.413	-4.0%
1951	0.413	+0.0%
1952	0.413	+0.0%
1953	0.356	-13.8%
1954	0.281	-21.1%
1955	0.281	+0.0%
1956	0.281	+0.0%
1957	0.281	+0.0%
1958	0.267	-5.0%
1959	0.266	-0.4%
1960	0.266	+0.0%
1961	0.266	+0.0%
1962	0.212	-20.3%
1963	0.206	-2.8%
1964	0.206	+0.0%
1965	0.206	+0.0%
1966	0.212	+2.9%
1967	0.212	+0.0%
1968	0.212	+0.0%
1969	0.212	+0.0%
1970	0.272	+28.3%
1971	0.277	+1.8%
1972	0.277	+0.0%
1973	0.277	+0.0%
1974	0.275	-0.7%
1975	0.275	+0.0%
1976	0.275	+0.0%
1977	0.275	+0.0%
1978	0.266	-3.3%
1979	0.265	-0.4%
1980	0.306	+15.5%
1981	0.306	+0.0%
1982	0.321	+4.9%
1983	0.322	+0.3%
1984	0.322	+0.0%
1985	0.322	+0.0%
1986	0.331	+2.8%
1987	0.348	+5.1%
1988	0.348	+0.0%
1989	0.348	+0.0%
1990	0.262	-24.7%
1991	0.256	-2.3%
1992	0.256	+0.0%
1993	0.256	+0.0%
1994	0.267	+4.3%
1995	0.268	+0.4%
1996	0.268	+0.0%
1997	0.268	+0.0%
1998	0.275	+2.6%
1999	0.214	-22.2%
2000	0.214	+0.0%
2001	0.214	+0.0%
2002	0.199	-7.0%
2003	0.197	-1.0%
2004	0.197	+0.0%
2005	0.197	+0.0%
2006	0.155	-21.3%
2007	0.15	-3.2%
2008	0.15	+0.0%
2009	0.15	+0.0%
2010	0.137	-8.7%
2011	0.135	-1.5%
2012	0.143	+5.9%
2013	0.141	-1.4%
2014	0.111	-21.3%
2015	0.105	-5.4%
2016	0.105	+0.0%
2017	0.116	+10.5%
2018	0.124	+6.9%
2019	0.125	+0.8%
2020	0.117	-6.4%
2021	0.117	+0.0%
2022	0.136	+16.2%
2023	0.16	+17.6%
2024	0.129	-19.4%
2025	0.129	+0.0%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

Costa Rica's 0.129 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.131, 98% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
Costa Rica's 0.129 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.514, 25% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1830s	0.735	0.735	0.735	2
1840s	0.7419	0.735	0.75	10
1850s	0.75	0.75	0.75	10
1860s	0.75	0.75	0.75	10
1870s	0.7525	0.75	0.753	10
1880s	0.696	0.695	0.705	10
1890s	0.6754	0.668	0.679	10
1900s	0.6701	0.664	0.697	10
1910s	0.7738	0.76	0.802	10
1920s	0.7838	0.773	0.795	10
1930s	0.7306	0.72	0.798	10
1940s	0.6502	0.43	0.722	10
1950s	0.3252	0.266	0.413	10
1960s	0.221	0.206	0.266	10
1970s	0.2734	0.265	0.277	10
1980s	0.3274	0.306	0.348	10
1990s	0.259	0.214	0.275	10
2000s	0.1823	0.15	0.214	10
2010s	0.1242	0.105	0.143	10
2020s	0.1313	0.117	0.16	6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

146 Japan 0.14 compare
147 Latvia 0.131 compare
147 Lithuania 0.131 compare
150 South Korea 0.123 compare
151 Belarus 0.118 compare
152 Austria 0.105 compare
152 United States 0.105 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is clientelism index in Costa Rica?: Clientelism index in Costa Rica was 0.129 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Costa Rica?: The highest recorded value was 0.802 in 1919.
What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Costa Rica?: The lowest recorded value was 0.105 in 2015.
How does Costa Rica rank for clientelism index?: Costa Rica ranks 149th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is clientelism index rising or falling in Costa Rica?: Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Clientelism Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Clientelism Index in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/clientelism-index/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator: Clientelism Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 24,366 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.