Costa Rica vs Papua New Guinea: Competitive elections
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
Papua New Guinea
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
Papua New Guinea rank
1st
Competitive elections over time
- Costa Rica
- Papua New Guinea
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in Papua New Guinea, a difference of 0.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 142 shared years of data; in 1884 it was Papua New Guinea ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and Papua New Guinea ranks 1st of 198 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 15 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Papua New Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | Costa Rica |
| 1910s | 0.8 | 0 | 0.8 | Costa Rica |
| 1920s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1930s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | Costa Rica |
| 1950s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1960s | 1 | 0 | 1 | Costa Rica |
| 1970s | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher competitive elections, Costa Rica or Papua New Guinea?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in Papua New Guinea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in competitive elections between Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea?
- 142 years are reported by both, from 1884 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea rank globally for competitive elections?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and Papua New Guinea ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Competitive elections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.