Costa Rica

Costa Rica gained independence from Spain in 1821. In 1948, it became one of the few countries in the world without a standing army, choosing to instead invest resources in environmental protection, education and health. This decision has helped Costa Rica race ahead of the region with regard to several development indicators. This approach has contributed to improved public health and primary care in rural regions, with the implementation of a national health plan in the 1970s and the subsequent consolidation of a national health system. It is a leader in environmental protection, with 25 per cent of its land designated as protected national parks. It is also the first tropical country to have reversed deforestation. Since 1949, regular elections have taken place every four years, making Costa Rica one of the longest existing and more stable democracies in the Americas.  

White and Mestizo Costa Ricans make up the majority of the country’s population (83.6 per cent), with Mulatto, Indigenous, and Black minorities. Eight Indigenous ethnic groups live in 24 Indigenous territories. While the 1977 Indigenous Act recognized the right to be governed through traditional systems, the imposition of “development associations” as a form of governance has been criticized as inadequate. Notwithstanding legislation to protect Indigenous territories, sometimes violent land disputes with illegal settlers remains a contentious, unresolved issue. Recently, migration has become another salient issue as migrants and asylum seekers (largely) from Nicaragua have strained Costa Rica’s asylum system and sparked a rise in food insecurity and xenophobic protests and disinformation.  

Costa Rica has a comprehensive legal framework to ensure gender equality and address gender-based violence, yet the latter remains a significant challenge. Progress has been made in women’s representation in Congress, which nears parity, and in reducing adolescent pregnancy in the past years. In 2020, Costa Rica recognized marriage equality. Further, despite high levels of government social expenditure, inequality and poverty have increased since the mid-1990s, and were exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic, given the economy’s reliance on tourism.

In the past years, corruption scandals have contributed to an erosion of public confidence in government and political elites. Long term party identity has deteriorated and shifted from a two-party system to a more fragmented one. Democratic dissatisfaction and apathy have grown, reflected in declining voter turnout. Further, polarization is growing in a context where the distance between new, anti-establishment and traditional political parties has increased, as illustrated during the 2022 election. At the same time, socioeconomic inequality among the central, coastal and border regions impacts citizens’ engagement and political participation.

In the next few years, it will be important to observe how inequality and perceptions of corruption continue to impact satisfaction with democratic institutions, particularly regarding Participatory Engagement. In addition, although Freedom of Expression and Media Integrity scores are amongst the highest in the continent, they should be monitored, as trust in media is in decline. Finally, it will also be important to watch how implementation of commitments related to Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized communities, such as asylum seekers, may impact performance in Fundamental Rights.