Costa Rica vs United States: Chief executive of the government is elected
Costa Rica
1
in 2025
United States
1
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
1st
United States rank
1st
Chief executive of the government is elected over time
- Costa Rica
- United States
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 against 1 in United States, a difference of 0.
Across all 188 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 20 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0 | 1 | 1 | United States |
| 1840s | 0.6 | 1 | 0.4 | United States |
| 1850s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United States |
| 1860s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1870s | 0.7 | 1 | 0.3 | United States |
| 1880s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | United States |
| 1890s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1910s | 0.8 | 1 | 0.2 | United States |
| 1920s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1930s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0.9 | 1 | 0.1 | United States |
| 1950s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 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 chief executive of the government is elected, Costa Rica or United States?
- Costa Rica, at 1 against 1 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in chief executive of the government is elected between Costa Rica and United States?
- 0, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States?
- 188 years are reported by both, from 1838 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United States rank globally for chief executive of the government is elected?
- Costa Rica ranks 1st and United States ranks 1st of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Chief executive of the government is elected. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The variable indicates whether some citizens directly or indirectly elect the chief executive. It considers political system which do not govern themselves — such as due to external interventions, occupations, or colonization — as not holding executive elections.