Costa Rica, 1949–2024
Democracy · Republic · Central America · Late Cold War era
A republic that abolished its standing army in 1949 and has held uninterrupted competitive elections since, with regular alternation of power.
Dominant patterns
- Democratization
- Regime Stabilization
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 35 |
| Media Control | 16 |
| Repression | 16 |
| Nationalism | 35 |
| Militarization | 6 |
| Economic Stress | 42 |
| External Conflict | 10 |
| Cult of Personality | 16 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 35 |
| Institutions | 85 |
| Social Polarization | 35 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 40 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 30 |
| External Sovereignty | 72 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $8096 (intl-$) |
| GDP growth | +2.1%/yr |
| Population | 5.1M people |
| Share of world population | 0.1% |
| Urban share | 52% |
| Life expectancy | 72.4 years |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Costa Rica 1949–2024, by similarity score (0–100).
- Japan, 1955–1972 – similarity 96/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Spain, 1982–1996 – similarity 96/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Japan, 1972–1989 – similarity 96/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Botswana, 1966–2024 – similarity 96/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- New Zealand, 1890–1914 – similarity 93/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Norway, 1905–1914 – similarity 93/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Germany, 2005–2024 – similarity 92/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- France, 2007–2024 – similarity 90/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
What followed
- Uninterrupted constitutional rule since 1949.