What is democracy in Costa Rica?

Democracy in Costa Rica was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Costa Rica?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1894.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Costa Rica?

The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1838.

How does Costa Rica rank for democracy?

Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Costa Rica?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Costa Rica data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Costa Rica

Name: Democracy in Costa Rica
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Costa Rica: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 1894

All-time low

in 1838

Years of data

181

1838–2018

Democracy in Costa Rica, 1838–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Costa Rica recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 181 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Costa Rica peaked at 2 in 1894 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1838.

Costa Rica ranks 1st of 167 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 181 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1830s	1	1	1	2
1840s	1	1	1	10
1850s	1	1	1	10
1860s	1	1	1	10
1870s	1	1	1	10
1880s	1	1	1	10
1890s	1.6	1	2	10
1900s	2	2	2	10
1910s	1.7	1	2	10
1920s	1	1	1	10
1930s	1	1	1	10
1940s	1.1	1	2	10
1950s	2	2	2	10
1960s	2	2	2	10
1970s	2	2	2	10
1980s	2	2	2	10
1990s	2	2	2	10
2000s	2	2	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	9

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Costa Rica

Spring temperature anomalies 0.2864 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.8623 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.1052 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3865 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.3144 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 143 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Costa Rica?: Democracy in Costa Rica was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Costa Rica?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1894.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Costa Rica?: The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1838.
How does Costa Rica rank for democracy?: Costa Rica ranks 1st out of 167 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Costa Rica?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 181 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).