Democracy Vista
Official national flag of Costa Rica. Democracy Vista assessment territory.
Official Territory

Costa Rica

Republic of Costa Rica

Pop: 5,309,625
Zone: Americas
DEMOVISTA PROPRIETARY // 2026

Liberty
Analysis

A weighted composite metric synthesizing global data on democracy, human rights, economic freedom, and societal development.

8.0INDEX / 10.0
Full Democracy

Supporting
Indices

8.6
SCORE / 10

Democracy Quality

Comprehensive analysis of democratic institutional quality

Full Democracy
7.6
SCORE / 10

Economic Freedom

Degree to which policies and institutions support economic liberty

Emerging Democracy
8.4
SCORE / 10

Human Freedom

A comprehensive measure of personal, civil, and economic freedom

Full Democracy
7.2
SCORE / 10

Economic Policy

Analysis of rule of law, government size, and regulatory efficiency

Emerging Democracy
8.8
SCORE / 10

Liberal Democracy

Accountability to citizens through elections and individual rights protection

Full Democracy

Structural
Categories

#23
🗣️

Freedom of Speech

8.6

Robust protections for public expression and media independence.

Status
#23/ 184
#36
📜

Rule of Law

7.4

Strong judicial independence with consistent legal enforcement.

Status
#36/ 184
#31
👩

Women's Freedom

9.2

Strong legal and structural protections for women's rights.

Status
#31/ 184
#34
👥

Minorities Freedom

9.5

Strong protections for ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities.

Status
#34/ 184
#54
🛡️

Crime & Safety

8.0

Low violent crime rates and robust personal security infrastructure.

Status
#54/ 184
#33
🗽

Individual Liberties

9.0

Strong freedoms in movement, relationships, and personal identity.

Status
#33/ 184
#10
🗳️

Democratic Health

7.5

Strong electoral integrity and structural liberalism.

Status
#10/ 184
#23
🏛️

Institutional Integrity

7.9

High internal government trustworthiness and low corruption.

Status
#23/ 184
#33
⚖️

Civil Justice

8.0

Impartial court system with strong political independence.

Status
#33/ 184
#59
📈

Economic Vigor

7.0

Developing market with average structural freedom.

Status
#59/ 184
#34
🏦

Macroeconomic Stability

8.4

Reliable local currency strongly protected from inflation.

Status
#34/ 184
#52
🌐

Market Openness

7.7

Highly fluid cross-border trade and financial liberties.

Status
#52/ 184
#77
📋

Regulatory Environment

5.6

Bureaucratic friction impedes rapid business operations.

Status
#77/ 184
#31
🌟

Quality of Life

7.7

High biological and structural welfare capacity.

Status
#31/ 184
#41
🌈

Social Tolerance

8.4

Robust mechanical protections for societal minorities.

Status
#41/ 184
#16
📰

Expression and Information

9.5

Open information flow with strong protections against censorship.

Status
#16/ 184
#2
🤝

Civil Society

9.7

Free environment for forming independent unions or parties.

Status
#2/ 184

Metadata &
Technical Details

Basic Information

Capital

San José

Region

Americas

Subregion

Central America

Landlocked

No

Culture & Language

Languages

Spanish

Currencies

Costa Rican colón (₡)

Technical Details

Country Codes

CRCRI

Neighboring Countries

NIC, PAN

Geographic
Hub

Initializing Projections...
Geospatial Context
Coordinates10.00°N, -84.00°E
ProjectionEquirectangular

National
Insights

Background
Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance from Indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two-and-a-half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica was one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence.

Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. General Federico TINOCO Granados led a coup in 1917, but the threat of US intervention pushed him to resign in 1919. In 1948, landowner Jose FIGUERES Ferrer raised his own army and rebelled against the government. The brief civil war ended with an agreement to allow FIGUERES to remain in power for 18 months, then step down in favor of the previously elected Otilio ULATE. FIGUERES was later elected twice in his own right, in 1953 and 1970.

Costa Rica experienced destabilizing waves of refugees from Central American civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s, but peace in the region has since helped the economy rebound.  Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries.