Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Human rights

Human rights in 2025: 0.93 of 1 in Costa Rica and 0.08 of 1 in Nicaragua, by V-Dem estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Costa Rica, by 0.85 of 1, or 12 times that in Nicaragua.

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Costa RicaNicaraguaWorld

What the numbers say

Costa Rica has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1838.
In 2025, Costa Rica ranked 17 and Nicaragua ranked 172 of 175 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 0.65 of 1 in 2025.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Costa Rica	Nicaragua	World
2025	0.93	0.08	0.65
2024	0.93	0.09	0.65
2023	0.93	0.09	0.66
2022	0.93	0.13	0.66
2021	0.94	0.18	0.67
2020	0.94	0.22	0.67
2019	0.94	0.23	0.68
2018	0.91	0.25	0.68
2017	0.96	0.59	0.68
2016	0.96	0.67	0.68
2015	0.96	0.68	0.69
2014	0.96	0.69	0.69
2013	0.96	0.69	0.7
2012	0.96	0.7	0.7
2011	0.96	0.71	0.7
2010	0.96	0.72	0.7
2009	0.96	0.73	0.69
2008	0.96	0.73	0.69
2007	0.96	0.75	0.69
2006	0.96	0.81	0.69
2005	0.96	0.84	0.69
2004	0.96	0.84	0.69
2003	0.96	0.84	0.69
2002	0.96	0.84	0.68
2001	0.96	0.84	0.68
2000	0.96	0.84	0.67
1999	0.96	0.84	0.66
1998	0.96	0.85	0.65
1997	0.96	0.85	0.65
1996	0.96	0.85	0.65
1995	0.96	0.85	0.65
1994	0.96	0.84	0.64
1993	0.96	0.84	0.63
1992	0.96	0.82	0.62
1991	0.96	0.8	0.6
1990	0.95	0.74	0.57
1989	0.94	0.53	0.51
1988	0.94	0.51	0.5
1987	0.94	0.45	0.5
1986	0.94	0.45	0.49
1985	0.92	0.45	0.48
1984	0.92	0.47	0.47
1983	0.92	0.45	0.47
1982	0.92	0.44	0.46
1981	0.91	0.52	0.46
1980	0.93	0.52	0.46
1979	0.92	0.14	0.45
1978	0.92	0.14	0.44
1977	0.91	0.14	0.44
1976	0.91	0.15	0.44
1975	0.91	0.15	0.44
1974	0.9	0.15	0.43
1973	0.9	0.15	0.43
1972	0.9	0.15	0.44
1971	0.9	0.15	0.44
1970	0.9	0.15	0.44
1969	0.9	0.14	0.44
1968	0.9	0.14	0.45
1967	0.9	0.14	0.45
1966	0.9	0.14	0.46
1965	0.9	0.14	0.46
1964	0.9	0.14	0.46
1963	0.9	0.14	0.46
1962	0.9	0.14	0.46
1961	0.89	0.14	0.46
1960	0.89	0.14	0.46
1959	0.89	0.14	0.44
1958	0.88	0.15	0.44
1957	0.88	0.15	0.43
1956	0.88	0.15	0.43
1955	0.88	0.15	0.43
1954	0.88	0.15	0.43
1953	0.88	0.15	0.43
1952	0.87	0.15	0.43
1951	0.87	0.15	0.43
1950	0.87	0.15	0.42
1949	0.76	0.15	0.42
1948	0.57	0.15	0.42
1947	0.7	0.15	0.42
1946	0.7	0.15	0.42
1945	0.7	0.15	0.38
1944	0.7	0.15	0.35
1943	0.7	0.15	0.35
1942	0.71	0.15	0.35
1941	0.71	0.15	0.35
1940	0.7	0.15	0.36
1939	0.7	0.15	0.38
1938	0.7	0.15	0.39
1937	0.7	0.15	0.39
1936	0.7	0.16	0.39
1935	0.72	0.17	0.4
1934	0.72	0.16	0.4
1933	0.72	0.19	0.4
1932	0.72	0.26	0.41
1931	0.72	0.26	0.41
1930	0.71	0.26	0.41
1929	0.71	0.27	0.41
1928	0.72	0.27	0.41
1927	0.72	0.26	0.41
1926	0.72	0.27	0.41
1925	0.72	0.27	0.41
1924	0.72	0.27	0.42
1923	0.72	0.27	0.41
1922	0.72	0.26	0.42
1921	0.72	0.26	0.42
1920	0.72	0.26	0.42
1919	0.62	0.28	0.41
1918	0.62	0.28	0.4
1917	0.63	0.28	0.39
1916	0.71	0.28	0.39
1915	0.71	0.28	0.4
1914	0.71	0.28	0.4
1913	0.71	0.28	0.41
1912	0.71	0.27	0.41
1911	0.71	0.29	0.41
1910	0.71	0.28	0.41
1909	0.71	0.35	0.41
1908	0.71	0.36	0.41
1907	0.71	0.36	0.41
1906	0.71	0.36	0.41
1905	0.71	0.36	0.41
1904	0.71	0.36	0.41
1903	0.71	0.35	0.41
1902	0.71	0.36	0.41
1901	0.71	0.36	0.41
1900	0.71	0.36	0.41
1899	0.71	0.36	0.47
1898	0.71	0.36	0.47
1897	0.71	0.36	0.46
1896	0.71	0.29	0.47
1895	0.71	0.38	0.46
1894	0.71	0.38	0.46
1893	0.71	0.29	0.46
1892	0.71	0.29	0.45
1891	0.71	0.33	0.45
1890	0.71	0.25	0.45
1889	0.71	0.4	0.45
1888	0.7	0.4	0.45
1887	0.68	0.35	0.45
1886	0.68	0.34	0.44
1885	0.68	0.34	0.44
1884	0.68	0.34	0.44
1883	0.68	0.34	0.44
1882	0.68	0.34	0.44
1881	0.68	0.2	0.44
1880	0.68	0.34	0.44
1879	0.68	0.34	0.45
1878	0.68	0.34	0.45
1877	0.68	0.34	0.44
1876	0.68	0.33	0.45
1875	0.68	0.24	0.45
1874	0.68	0.33	0.45
1873	0.68	0.33	0.45
1872	0.68	0.33	0.44
1871	0.68	0.33	0.45
1870	0.68	0.33	0.44
1869	0.71	0.24	0.44
1868	0.71	0.33	0.43
1867	0.71	0.33	0.44
1866	0.71	0.24	0.43
1865	0.71	0.33	0.43
1864	0.71	0.33	0.42
1863	0.71	0.2	0.43
1862	0.71	0.33	0.43
1861	0.71	0.32	0.42
1860	0.69	0.32	0.41
1859	0.7	0.25	0.4
1858	0.71	0.24	0.4
1857	0.71	0.11	0.4
1856	0.71	0.11	0.4
1855	0.71	0.11	0.4
1854	0.71	0.11	0.4
1853	0.71	0.11	0.4
1852	0.71	0.11	0.39
1851	0.71	0.11	0.39
1850	0.71	0.16	0.39
1849	0.71	0.25	0.41
1848	0.71	0.25	0.4
1847	0.7	0.25	0.38
1846	0.7	0.25	0.38
1845	0.7	0.11	0.37
1844	0.7	0.25	0.37
1843	0.7	0.25	0.37
1842	0.68	0.25	0.37
1841	0.7	0.25	0.37
1840	0.69	0.25	0.36
1839	0.69	0.25	0.36
1838	0.69	0.25	0.36
1837	–	–	0.36
1836	–	–	0.36
1835	–	–	0.36
1834	–	–	0.35
1833	–	–	0.35
1832	–	–	0.35
1831	–	–	0.35
1830	–	–	0.35
1829	–	–	0.35
1828	–	–	0.35
1827	–	–	0.35
1826	–	–	0.35
1825	–	–	0.35
1824	–	–	0.34
1823	–	–	0.35
1822	–	–	0.34
1821	–	–	0.34
1820	–	–	0.33
1819	–	–	0.32
1818	–	–	0.31
1817	–	–	0.31
1816	–	–	0.32
1815	–	–	0.32
1814	–	–	0.3
1813	–	–	0.29
1812	–	–	0.28
1811	–	–	0.28
1810	–	–	0.29
1809	–	–	0.29
1808	–	–	0.28
1807	–	–	0.28
1806	–	–	0.27
1805	–	–	0.27
1804	–	–	0.27
1803	–	–	0.27
1802	–	–	0.27
1801	–	–	0.27
1800	–	–	0.27
1799	–	–	0.28
1798	–	–	0.27
1797	–	–	0.27
1796	–	–	0.27
1795	–	–	0.27
1794	–	–	0.27
1793	–	–	0.27
1792	–	–	0.27
1791	–	–	0.27
1790	–	–	0.27
1789	–	–	0.27

Each country on its own

Good to know

V-Dem’s civil liberties index: how free people are from government violence and how far they hold private and political liberties, from 0 to 1.
Source: V-Dem (2026), via Our World in Data.
Ranks count the 175 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Human rights

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

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