Statizoid

Political opposition in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Political opposition was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1889
All-time low
0
in 1838
Years of data
188
1838–2025

Political opposition in Costa Rica, 1838–2025

00.20.40.60.81183819312025

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

Analysis

In 2025, political opposition in Costa Rica stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 188 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, political opposition in Costa Rica peaked at 1 in 1889 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1838.

That places Costa Rica 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 0.1 0 1 10
1890s 0.8 0 1 10
1900s 1 1 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 political opposition in Costa Rica?
Political opposition in Costa Rica was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political opposition recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1889.
What is the lowest political opposition recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1838.
How does Costa Rica rank for political opposition?
Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is political opposition 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 Political opposition. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Political opposition
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

Indicates whether more than one party or non-party candidate are able to compete in elections for the legislature.