Human rights in Costa Rica

Human rights in Costa Rica: 0.69 of 1 in 1838 and 0.93 of 1 in 2025, by V-Dem estimates.

Latest, 2025: 0.93 of 1
Since 1838: +0.24 of 1
Rank, 2025: 17 of 175; counting from the highest
World, 2025: 0.65 of 1

Watch it change on the map

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Estimates, V-DemWorld

What the numbers say

The highest was 0.96 of 1 in 2016, the lowest 0.57 of 1 in 1948.

Every year

index, 0 to 1 · V-Dem

Year	Costa Rica	World
2025	0.93	0.65
2024	0.93	0.65
2023	0.93	0.66
2022	0.93	0.66
2021	0.94	0.67
2020	0.94	0.67
2019	0.94	0.68
2018	0.91	0.68
2017	0.96	0.68
2016	0.96	0.68
2015	0.96	0.69
2014	0.96	0.69
2013	0.96	0.7
2012	0.96	0.7
2011	0.96	0.7
2010	0.96	0.7
2009	0.96	0.69
2008	0.96	0.69
2007	0.96	0.69
2006	0.96	0.69
2005	0.96	0.69
2004	0.96	0.69
2003	0.96	0.69
2002	0.96	0.68
2001	0.96	0.68
2000	0.96	0.67
1999	0.96	0.66
1998	0.96	0.65
1997	0.96	0.65
1996	0.96	0.65
1995	0.96	0.65
1994	0.96	0.64
1993	0.96	0.63
1992	0.96	0.62
1991	0.96	0.6
1990	0.95	0.57
1989	0.94	0.51
1988	0.94	0.5
1987	0.94	0.5
1986	0.94	0.49
1985	0.92	0.48
1984	0.92	0.47
1983	0.92	0.47
1982	0.92	0.46
1981	0.91	0.46
1980	0.93	0.46
1979	0.92	0.45
1978	0.92	0.44
1977	0.91	0.44
1976	0.91	0.44
1975	0.91	0.44
1974	0.9	0.43
1973	0.9	0.43
1972	0.9	0.44
1971	0.9	0.44
1970	0.9	0.44
1969	0.9	0.44
1968	0.9	0.45
1967	0.9	0.45
1966	0.9	0.46
1965	0.9	0.46
1964	0.9	0.46
1963	0.9	0.46
1962	0.9	0.46
1961	0.89	0.46
1960	0.89	0.46
1959	0.89	0.44
1958	0.88	0.44
1957	0.88	0.43
1956	0.88	0.43
1955	0.88	0.43
1954	0.88	0.43
1953	0.88	0.43
1952	0.87	0.43
1951	0.87	0.43
1950	0.87	0.42
1949	0.76	0.42
1948	0.57	0.42
1947	0.7	0.42
1946	0.7	0.42
1945	0.7	0.38
1944	0.7	0.35
1943	0.7	0.35
1942	0.71	0.35
1941	0.71	0.35
1940	0.7	0.36
1939	0.7	0.38
1938	0.7	0.39
1937	0.7	0.39
1936	0.7	0.39
1935	0.72	0.4
1934	0.72	0.4
1933	0.72	0.4
1932	0.72	0.41
1931	0.72	0.41
1930	0.71	0.41
1929	0.71	0.41
1928	0.72	0.41
1927	0.72	0.41
1926	0.72	0.41
1925	0.72	0.41
1924	0.72	0.42
1923	0.72	0.41
1922	0.72	0.42
1921	0.72	0.42
1920	0.72	0.42
1919	0.62	0.41
1918	0.62	0.4
1917	0.63	0.39
1916	0.71	0.39
1915	0.71	0.4
1914	0.71	0.4
1913	0.71	0.41
1912	0.71	0.41
1911	0.71	0.41
1910	0.71	0.41
1909	0.71	0.41
1908	0.71	0.41
1907	0.71	0.41
1906	0.71	0.41
1905	0.71	0.41
1904	0.71	0.41
1903	0.71	0.41
1902	0.71	0.41
1901	0.71	0.41
1900	0.71	0.41
1899	0.71	0.47
1898	0.71	0.47
1897	0.71	0.46
1896	0.71	0.47
1895	0.71	0.46
1894	0.71	0.46
1893	0.71	0.46
1892	0.71	0.45
1891	0.71	0.45
1890	0.71	0.45
1889	0.71	0.45
1888	0.7	0.45
1887	0.68	0.45
1886	0.68	0.44
1885	0.68	0.44
1884	0.68	0.44
1883	0.68	0.44
1882	0.68	0.44
1881	0.68	0.44
1880	0.68	0.44
1879	0.68	0.45
1878	0.68	0.45
1877	0.68	0.44
1876	0.68	0.45
1875	0.68	0.45
1874	0.68	0.45
1873	0.68	0.45
1872	0.68	0.44
1871	0.68	0.45
1870	0.68	0.44
1869	0.71	0.44
1868	0.71	0.43
1867	0.71	0.44
1866	0.71	0.43
1865	0.71	0.43
1864	0.71	0.42
1863	0.71	0.43
1862	0.71	0.43
1861	0.71	0.42
1860	0.69	0.41
1859	0.7	0.4
1858	0.71	0.4
1857	0.71	0.4
1856	0.71	0.4
1855	0.71	0.4
1854	0.71	0.4
1853	0.71	0.4
1852	0.71	0.39
1851	0.71	0.39
1850	0.71	0.39
1849	0.71	0.41
1848	0.71	0.4
1847	0.7	0.38
1846	0.7	0.38
1845	0.7	0.37
1844	0.7	0.37
1843	0.7	0.37
1842	0.68	0.37
1841	0.7	0.37
1840	0.69	0.36
1839	0.69	0.36
1838	0.69	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

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

Human rights in Costa Rica

What the numbers say

Every year

Good to know

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