Political Polarization Score in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Political Polarization Score was -0.266 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
-0.266
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
105th
of 174 countries
All-time high
1.91
in 1947
All-time low
-2.02
in 2000
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Political Polarization Score in Costa Rica, 1900–2025

-2-1012190019622025

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

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded -0.266 for political polarization score in 2025.

That represents a change of up 81.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political polarization score in Costa Rica peaked at 1.91 in 1947 and was at its lowest, -2.02, in 2000.

Costa Rica ranks 105th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s -0.268 -0.268 -0.268 10
1910s -0.1798 -0.268 0.026 10
1920s -0.423 -0.423 -0.423 10
1930s -0.423 -0.423 -0.423 10
1940s 1.63 1.32 1.91 10
1950s 0.6562 0.325 0.693 10
1960s -1.18 -1.52 -0.374 10
1970s -1.52 -1.52 -1.52 10
1980s -1.33 -1.33 -1.33 10
1990s -1.64 -1.64 -1.64 10
2000s -1.48 -2.02 -0.68 10
2010s -1.4 -1.4 -1.4 10
2020s -0.8493 -1.74 -0.266 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 102 Zambia -0.195 compare
  2. 103 Egypt -0.22 compare
  3. 104 Congo -0.25 compare
  4. 106 Benin -0.273 compare
  5. 107 United Kingdom -0.281 compare
  6. 108 Angola -0.301 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is political polarization score in Costa Rica?
Political polarization score in Costa Rica was -0.266 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political polarization score recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 1.91 in 1947.
What is the lowest political polarization score recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was -2.02 in 2000.
How does Costa Rica rank for political polarization score?
Costa Rica ranks 105th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is political polarization score rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 81.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Political Polarization Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Political Polarization Score
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 20,575 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which society is divided into hostile political camps, where political differences undermine social relationships and discourage interaction across ideological lines.