Statizoid

Competitive elections in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1901
All-time low
0
in 1838
Years of data
188
1838–2025

Competitive elections in Costa Rica, 1838–2025

00.20.40.60.81183819312025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 1 for competitive elections in 2025. That is the highest value across all 188 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, competitive elections in Costa Rica peaked at 1 in 1901 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1838.

Costa Rica ranks 1st of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1830s 0 0 0 2
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0.9 0 1 10
1910s 0.8 0 1 10
1920s 1 1 1 10
1930s 1 1 1 10
1940s 0.9 0 1 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 1 1 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is competitive elections in Costa Rica?
Competitive elections in Costa Rica was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest competitive elections recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1901.
What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1838.
How does Costa Rica rank for competitive elections?
Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is competitive elections rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Competitive elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.