Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica)

Costa Rica Republic of Costa Rica
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	36th best
Capital	San Jose
Land Area	51 060km21
Location	North America, The Americas, Central America
Population	5.0m2
Life Expectancy	77.02yrs (2017)3
GNI	$19 974 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	CR, CRI, 1885
Internet Domain	.cr6
Currency	Colon (CRC)7
Telephone	+5068

1. Overview
2. Costa Rica National and Social Development
3. Costa Rica's Demographics and Migration
4. Costa Rica's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets
   2. Gender Equality Datasets
   3. Prejudice Datasets
5. Costa Rica's Health
   1. Health Datasets
   2. Children's Health Datasets
6. Costa Rica's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Costa Rica's Modernity and Learning
   1. Modernity Datasets
   2. Education Datasets
   3. Technology and Information Datasets
8. Costa Rica's Culture, Peace and Inequality
   1. National Culture Datasets
   2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets
   3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#costa_rica #spain #venezuela

“Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“In Costa Rica trails lead to rushing waterfalls, mist-covered volcanoes and deserted beaches. Regardless of which you choose, this tropical playland is a feast for the senses. Whether you´re following the shimmer of a blue butterfly from palm to palm, staring into the yawning mouth of a deep purple orchid or watching wisps of fog roll in to soften the jagged edge of mountains, Costa Rica´s vivid colors last a lifetime. The canopies rustle with riotous troupes of monkeys, hillsides echo with the squawks of macaws and you can reach up to the trees and pick your day´s lunch. It might seem at times like some kind of wondrous tropical fantasy land, but this is Costa Rica.

As the preeminent eco- and adventure-tourism capital of Central America, Costa Rica has earned a rightful place in the cubicle daydreams of travelers around the world. With a world-class infrastructure, visionary sustainability initiatives and no standing army, Costa Rica is a green, peaceful jewel. Considering more than a third of the country enjoys some form of environmental protection and there´s greater biodiversity than the USA and Europe combined, it´s a country that earns the superlative descriptions.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

Along with 11 others, Costa Rica signed the Lima Declaration in 2017, condemning "the assault on democratic order and the systematic violation of human rights in Venezuela"₁₁.

2. Costa Rica National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)12
Pos.		Higher is better Value12
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
55	Bahamas	0.812
56	Kazakhstan	0.811
57	Trinidad & Tobago	0.810
58=	Costa Rica	0.809
58=	Uruguay	0.809
60	Belarus	0.808
61	Panama	0.805
62	Malaysia	0.803
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)12
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $12
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
63	Uruguay	$21 269
64	Argentina	$20 925
65	Montenegro	$20 839
66	Costa Rica	$19 974
67	Serbia	$19 123
68	Belarus	$18 849
69	Dominican Rep.	$17 990
70	Mexico	$17 896
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index13
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank13
1	Denmark	27.2
2	Norway	29.2
3	Sweden	30.2
	...
33	Malta	55.1
34	Slovakia	55.6
35	Greece	55.7
36	Costa Rica	55.9
37	San Marino	56.8
38	Estonia	56.9
39	Israel	61.9
40	Latvia	62.1
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	89.2
q=200.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Costa Rica's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Costa Rica's population is predicted to rise to 5.694 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.52. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1, once you take mortality into account₁₄. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₅

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
116	Slovakia	5.5m
117	Norway	5.3m
118	Congo, (Brazzaville)	5.2m
119	Costa Rica	5.0m
120	Palestine	4.9m
121	Oman	4.8m
122	Liberia	4.8m
123	Ireland	4.8m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better12
Pos.		2021 Years12
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
47	Estonia	77.1
48	Costa Rica	77.0
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
51	Poland	76.5
52	Sri Lanka	76.4
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best16
Pos.		202216
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
81	Fiji	2.46
82=	Croatia	1.53
82=	Belgium	1.53
84	Costa Rica	1.52
85=	Sweden	1.52
85=	Hungary	1.52
87	St Kitts & Nevis	1.51
88	Kosovo	1.51
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better17
Pos.		2016 Per 10017
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
123	Lebanon	21.1
124	Trinidad & Tobago	21.9
125	Bahamas	22.4
126	Costa Rica	22.6
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants18
Pos.		2017 %18
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
64	Malaysia	8.5%
65	Portugal	8.5%
66	Suriname	8.5%
67	Costa Rica	8.4%
68	Russia	8.1%
69	Congo, (Brazzaville)	7.6%
70	Botswana	7.3%
71	St Lucia	7.2%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants19
Pos.		2010 %19
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
142	Central African Rep.	2.9%
143	Angola	2.8%
144	France	2.8%
145	Costa Rica	2.7%
146	Rwanda	2.6%
147	Pakistan	2.5%
148	Vietnam	2.5%
149	Niger	2.4%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Costa Rica's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to The Americas (2025)20
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank20
1	Canada	17.0
2	Uruguay	30.8
3	Costa Rica	38.8
4	USA	48.3
5	Argentina	48.4
6	Brazil	53.1
7	Chile	61.4
8	Bolivia	65.3
9	Mexico	66.3
10	Peru	68.4
11	Trinidad & Tobago	68.9
12	Bahamas	70.3
13	El Salvador	70.3
	The Americas Avg	75.88
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)20
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank20
1	Sweden	7.5
2	Netherlands	8.6
3	Denmark	9.0
	...
22	Japan	31.6
23	Portugal	36.4
24	Czechia	38.8
25	Costa Rica	38.8
26	Malta	38.9
27	Estonia	41.0
28	Taiwan	42.2
29	S. Korea	45.2
	World Avg	90.04
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark₂₁. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia₂₁.

30 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₁, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₂₁.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

4.1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

#freedom #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #politics #slavery

Press Freedom Higher is better22
Pos.		202522
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
33	Slovenia	74.06
34	Armenia	73.96
35	Moldova	73.36
36	Costa Rica	73.09
37	Montenegro	72.83
38	Slovakia	71.93
39	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	71.79
40	Fiji	71.20
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better23
Pos.		Slavery in the 2020s Per 100023
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
34=	Mozambique	3.00
35	Liberia	3.10
36=	Chile	3.20
36=	Costa Rica	3.20
38=	Nepal	3.30
38=	Togo	3.30
38=	Italy	3.30
38=	USA	3.30
	The Americas Avg	5.84
	World Avg	7.15
q=160. Also scored for 2010s-2020s.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
1=	Slovakia	1.0
1=	Chile	1.0
1=	San Marino	1.0
1=	Costa Rica	1.0
1=	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.0
1=	St Lucia	1.0
1=	Cyprus	1.0
1=	Denmark	1.0
1=	Dominica	1.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205. Also scored for 1970s-2010s.

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better24
Pos.		2017 Score24
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
34=	Liechtenstein	2
34=	Chile	2
36=	Paraguay	1
36=	Costa Rica	1
36=	Norway	1
36=	Panama	1
40=	Ukraine	0
40=	Nepal	0
	The Americas Avg	-0.8
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better25
Pos.		2009 Treaties25
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
2=	Ecuador	23
2=	Germany	23
2=	Mexico	23
2=	Peru	23
2=	Spain	23
2=	Slovenia	23
2=	Paraguay	23
2=	Serbia	23
2=	Sweden	23
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better26
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty26
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
4	Colombia	3.68
5	Costa Rica	4.05
6	Mexico	4.08
7	Chile	4.12
8	Philippines	4.19
9	Bulgaria	4.24
10	Panama	4.26
11	Senegal	4.32
12	Namibia	4.36
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

4.2. Gender Equality Datasets

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #politics #women

Costa Rica is on the way towards ending gender inequality but women are still in an unfavourable position much of the time.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Gender Inequality Lower is better27
Pos.		202227
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
54	Romania	0.23
55	Saudi Arabia	0.24
56	Kuwait	0.24
57	Costa Rica	0.24
58	Hungary	0.24
59	Tunisia	0.24
60	Uruguay	0.24
61	Uzbekistan	0.24
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Year Women Can Vote Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
75=	Niger	1948
75=	Suriname	1948
75=	Seychelles	1948
78=	Costa Rica	1949
78=	Chile	1949
78=	China	1949
78=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1949
82=	Barbados	1950
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

4.3. Prejudice Datasets

#2020s #antisemitism #freethought #homosexuality #religious_tolerance

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better28
Pos.		2014 %28
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
50=	Kazakhstan	32
50=	Bangladesh	32
50=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	32
50=	Costa Rica	32
54=	Uruguay	33
54=	Croatia	33
54=	Botswana	33
57	Nicaragua	34
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

LGBT Equality in the 2020s Higher is better29
Pos.		LGBT Equality in the 2020s Score29
1=	Germany	4.88
1=	Spain	4.88
3	Portugal	4.81
	...
11=	Luxembourg	4.66
12	Mexico	4.35
13	Chile	4.32
14	Costa Rica	3.93
15=	Uruguay	3.81
15=	Denmark	3.81
15=	Australia	3.81
18	Belgium	3.73
	The Americas Avg	0.41
	World Avg	-1.21
q=215. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Homosexuality in Costa Rica has been legal since 1971, with an equal age of consent, although "public morality" laws were still used to harass LGBT people, especially in the 1970s-1990s, before things improved. Discrimination protections have been raised in 1998. ILGA researchers in 2017 found that Costa Rica had legal protections against anti-LGBT employment discrimination, and other protections. The state formally apologized in 2018 for past persecution. Ssame-sex marriage and adoption rights were granted in 2020, making Costa Rica the first central American country to achieve marriage equality.

Actions taken at the United Nations:

•  ⇡  In 2025, signed the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on ending acts of violence and human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
•  ⇡  Voted in favour of the 2014 Resolution 27/32 at the UN Human Rights Council against discrimiantion based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
•  ⇣  Voted for the 2016 UN Human Rights Council Resolution 32/2 to create the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
•  ⇡  In 2022, voted to renew the UN Human Rights Council Independent Expert on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
•  ⇡  In 2025, voted to renew the UN Human Rights Council Independent Expert on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better30
Pos.		202130
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
58=	Central African Rep.	2.5
58=	Chile	2.5
58=	Colombia	2.5
58=	Costa Rica	2.5
62=	Austria	2.7
62=	Honduras	2.7
62=	Czechia	2.7
65=	Canada	2.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Costa Rica's Health

#health

Compared to The Americas (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Antigua & Barbuda	62.3
2	Canada	63.9
3	Cuba	64.7
4	USA	68.5
5	British Virgin Islands	69.8
6	St Martin	70.9
7	Greenland	72.3
8	Turks & Caicos Islands	74.9
9	Costa Rica	76.4
10	Barbados	77.6
11	Dominica	80.4
12	Grenada	81.1
13	Uruguay	82.1
	The Americas Avg	91.99
q=41.

Health (2025)31
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank31
1	Monaco	10.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Japan	40.8
	...
57	Turks & Caicos Islands	74.9
58	UAE	75.9
59	Croatia	76.3
60	Costa Rica	76.4
61	Vietnam	77.5
62	Barbados	77.6
63	Qatar	77.9
64	Seychelles	78.0
	World Avg	97.39
q=207.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and Japan₃₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₂.

42 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 and childhood mortality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₂.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

5.1. Health Datasets

#2010s #alcohol #birth_control #costa_rica #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #smoking #suicide

Costa Rica does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Costa Rica does better than average when it comes to its smoking rate₃₃, its average life expectancy₁₂, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations in the 2020s₃₄, childhood mortality in the 2020s₃₅, its alcohol consumption rate₃₆, its suicide rate₃₇ and in its fertility rate₁₆ (but bad for The Americas). But, there's bad news too. Costa Rica does worse than average in terms of the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈, its adolescent birth rate₃₉ (still good for The Americas), its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₄₀ and in delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015₄₁. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Costa Rica improved by just +2.8yrs in the 30 years from 1990, significantly less than almost everywhere else in the world. Costa Rica is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.71 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better12
Pos.		2021 Years12
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
45	Barbados	77.6
46	USA	77.2
47	Estonia	77.1
48	Costa Rica	77.0
49	Saudi Arabia	76.9
50	Albania	76.5
51	Poland	76.5
52	Sri Lanka	76.4
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better36
Pos.		2016 Per Capita36
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
72=	Bahamas	4.4
72=	Ecuador	4.4
74=	Bolivia	4.8
74=	Costa Rica	4.8
74=	Guinea-Bissau	4.8
74=	Myanmar	4.8
74=	Zambia	4.8
74=	Zimbabwe	4.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best16
Pos.		202216
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
81	Fiji	2.46
82=	Croatia	1.53
82=	Belgium	1.53
84	Costa Rica	1.52
85=	Sweden	1.52
85=	Hungary	1.52
87	St Kitts & Nevis	1.51
88	Kosovo	1.51
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better33
Pos.		Smoking in the 2020s %33
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
21	Oman	8.4%
22	Belize	8.8%
23	Ivory Coast	8.8%
24	Costa Rica	8.9%
25	El Salvador	8.9%
26	UAE	9.0%
27	Iceland	9.3%
28	Tanzania	9.3%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Suicide Rate in the 2010s Lower is better37
Pos.		Suicide Rate in the 2010s Per 100k37
1=	Jordan	1.00
1=	Sao Tome & Principe	1.00
1=	Antigua & Barbuda	1.00
	...
80=	Comoros	6.26
81	Puerto Rico	6.33
82	Malta	6.42
83	Costa Rica	6.44
84	Malawi	6.68
85	Angola	6.83
86	Equatorial Guinea	6.89
87	Venezuela	6.95
	The Americas Avg	8.02
	World Avg	9.24
q=185. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
107	Zimbabwe	107
108	Central African Rep.	108
109	Benin	109
110	Costa Rica	110
111	Dominica	111
112	Romania	112
113	Peru	113
114	Kenya	114
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		1976 %38
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
93=	S. Africa	28.2
93=	Guatemala	28.2
93=	Brazil	28.2
96	Costa Rica	28.6
97=	Mongolia	29.0
97=	Ecuador	29.0
99	Barbados	29.5
100	El Salvador	29.7
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better42
Pos.		2022 %42
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
146	Dominica	31.5%
147	UAE	31.5%
148	Australia	31.8%
149	Costa Rica	32.0%
150	Paraguay	32.1%
151	Brunei	32.4%
152	Nicaragua	32.4%
153	Palestine	32.8%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

5.2. Children's Health Datasets

#children's_health #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better39
Pos.		2022 Per 100039
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
97	Uruguay	35.2
98	Romania	35.4
99	Micronesia	35.7
100	Costa Rica	35.7
101	St Lucia	36.3
102	St Kitts & Nevis	36.8
103	Trinidad & Tobago	37.7
104	Argentina	37.9
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Higher is better34
Pos.		Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Avg %34
1=	Luxembourg	99.0
1=	Oman	99.0
1=	Niue	99.0
	...
52=	Antigua & Barbuda	96.9
52=	Saudi Arabia	96.9
54=	Chile	96.8
54=	Costa Rica	96.8
56=	Jamaica	96.7
56=	Slovakia	96.7
56=	Cyprus	96.7
59=	Switzerland	96.6
	The Americas Avg	87.5
	World Avg	88.5
q=211. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

7x Infant Immunizations (2011-2015) Higher is better41
Pos.		2015 Avg %41
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
125	Sudan	89.2
126	Honduras	88.8
127	Kenya	88.5
128	Costa Rica	88.5
129	Colombia	88.4
130	Kiribati	88.4
131	Netherlands	88.1
132	Paraguay	88.1
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better35
Pos.		Infant Mortality (2020s) Per 100035
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
53	Bulgaria	8.60
54	Uruguay	9.08
55	Sri Lanka	9.10
56	Costa Rica	9.40
57=	Saudi Arabia	9.46
57=	Kuwait	9.46
59	Romania	9.55
60	Ukraine	9.82
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

6. Costa Rica's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	82.39
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
7	Nepal	47.9
8	India	49.5
9	Philippines	49.6
10	Costa Rica	49.7
11	Denmark	50.4
12	Mali	51.0
13	Madagascar	52.4
14	Nigeria	55.8
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₄. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amongst the lowest in The Americas Costa Rica ranks 10th-best in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This is calculated from 21 data sets. Costa Rica comes in the best 20 in terms of the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₅. It does better than average in its score on the Green Future Index₄₆ (one of the highest in The Americas), its environmental performance₄₇ (one of the highest in The Americas), its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₈ and in energy to GDP efficiency₄₉. Costa Rica does not succeed in everything, however. Costa Rica does worse than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₅₀.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better48
Pos.		Total48
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
42	Martinique	7.2%
43	Hungary	6.8%
44	India	6.7%
45	Costa Rica	6.2%
46	Switzerland	6.0%
47	Belarus	5.9%
48	Latvia	5.2%
49	Tunisia	5.2%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better47
Pos.		201847
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
28	Slovakia	70.6
29	Lithuania	69.3
30=	Bulgaria	67.9
30=	Costa Rica	67.9
32	Qatar	67.8
33	Czechia	67.7
34	Slovenia	67.6
35	Trinidad & Tobago	67.4
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better49
Pos.		2022 Avg49
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
46	UK	0.80
47	Pakistan	0.81
48	Comoros	0.81
49	Costa Rica	0.81
50	Latvia	0.81
51	Ghana	0.83
52	Colombia	0.83
53	Lithuania	0.83
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		International Accords on the Environment Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
33	Kazakhstan	70%
34	Jordan	69%
35	Portugal	69%
36	Costa Rica	69%
37	Mexico	69%
38	Uzbekistan	69%
39	India	69%
40	Paraguay	69%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

One of 18 countries who enacted Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in its first year (1975).

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better45
Pos.		2011 %45
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
6	Cyprus	71.0%
7	Guatemala	70.9%
8	Philippines	70.8%
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better50
Pos.		2021 kg50
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
107	Slovenia	61.2
108	Bulgaria	61.8
109	Moldova	61.9
110	Costa Rica	62.2
111	China	63.6
112	Uruguay	62.8
113	Jamaica	63.4
114	Slovakia	63.5
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185. Also scored for 2010s.

Green Future Index Higher is better46
Pos.		2023 Score46
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
21=	Poland	5.4
22	Austria	5.4
23	Bulgaria	5.3
24	Costa Rica	5.3
25	S. Africa	5.2
26	Uruguay	5.1
27	China	5.1
28	Japan	5.1
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Costa Rica's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2025)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1	Canada	28.7
2	Argentina	39.3
3	Chile	43.4
4	Uruguay	46.6
5	Brazil	49.2
6	Costa Rica	57.4
7	Mexico	57.6
8	Peru	59.2
9	Cuba	64.5
10	Ecuador	65.3
11	Colombia	65.4
12	Panama	68.0
13=	Bolivia	68.3
	The Americas Avg	79.58
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1	Finland	6.1
2	Iceland	8.1
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
54	Andorra	53.0
55	Malaysia	53.8
56	Kazakhstan	53.9
57	Costa Rica	57.4
58	Bosnia & Herzegovina	57.6
59	Mexico	57.6
60	UK	58.5
61	Peru	59.2
	World Avg	84.96
q=197.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Iceland and Denmark₅₂. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₅₂. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₃.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₄

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₂, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₂.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

7.1. Modernity Datasets

#intelligence #metric #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2955
2	Israel	4.1155
3	Japan	3.5855
	...
59	UAE	0.4956
60=	Uganda	0.4857
60=	Cyprus	0.4858
62=	Costa Rica	0.4756
62=	Qatar	0.4759
62=	Cuba	0.4758
65=	Macedonia	0.4458
65=	Puerto Rico	0.4458
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
73	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	73
74	Chile	74
75	Argentina	75
76	Costa Rica	76
77	Jamaica	77
78	Colombia	78
79	Liberia	79
80	Kyrgyzstan	80
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better60
Pos.		2025 %60
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
28=	Andorra	95
28=	Algeria	95
28=	Albania	95
28=	Costa Rica	95
28=	Argentina	95
28=	Kosovo	95
28=	China	95
28=	Taiwan	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

Costa Rica officially adopted metric in 1909₆₁. Progression:

• 1960 (70%): Metric official; traditional units common informally.
• 1970 (85%): Standardization in commerce/education.
• 1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
• 2000 (95%).
• 2025 (95%).

Religiosity Lower is better62
Pos.		2018 %62
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
64=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71=	Dominican Rep.	78
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better63
Pos.		200663
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
56=	Croatia	90
56=	Kyrgyzstan	90
56=	Chile	90
59=	Costa Rica	89
59=	Laos	89
61=	Ecuador	88
61=	Mexico	88
63=	Brazil	87
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

7.2. Education Datasets

#education #english #maths #science

Secondary Education Higher is better64
Pos.		201864
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
102	Lebanon	54.9%
103	Portugal	54.2%
104	Turkey	53.1%
105	Costa Rica	52.9%
106	Colombia	52.0%
107	Ecuador	51.9%
108	Tunisia	51.8%
109	India	51.6%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better65
Pos.		2021 Years65
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
21	Malta	16.8
22	Uruguay	16.8
23	Chile	16.7
24	Costa Rica	16.5
25	Singapore	16.5
26	S. Korea	16.5
27	Switzerland	16.5
28	Canada	16.4
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better66
Pos.		2015 Score66
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
51	Trinidad & Tobago	1269
52	Moldova	1264
53	Montenegro	1256
54=	Costa Rica	1247
54=	Mexico	1247
56=	Albania	1245
56=	Thailand	1245
58	Colombia	1231
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

7.3. Technology and Information Datasets

#modernity #technology #the_internet

Internet Users (2020s) Higher is better
Pos.		Internet Users (2020s)
1=	Iceland	99%
1=	Kuwait	99%
1=	UAE	99%
	...
67	Serbia	83%
68	Turkey	83%
69	San Marino	83%
70	Costa Rica	83%
71	Lebanon	83%
72	Trinidad & Tobago	83%
73	Jamaica	83%
74	Maldives	82%
	The Americas Avg	75.7%
	World Avg	67.8%
q=188. Also scored for 1990s-2020s.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better67
Pos.		2017 Ratio67
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
75=	Zambia	0.1
76=	Panama	0.1
76=	Croatia	0.1
76=	Costa Rica	0.1
76=	Serbia	0.1
80=	Liechtenstein	0.0
80=	Cyprus	0.0
82=	Philippines	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better68
Pos.		202468
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
58	Kazakhstan	47.6%
59	Indonesia	47.5%
60	India	47.0%
61	Costa Rica	46.9%
62	Albania	46.7%
63	Azerbaijan	46.0%
64	Macedonia	45.7%
65	Moldova	45.5%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Costa Rica's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#charitability #culture #equality #human_development #inequality #peace

Compared to The Americas (2025)69
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank69
1	Canada	20.9
2	USA	40.1
3	Costa Rica	46.8
4	Uruguay	51.4
5	Barbados	51.9
6	Chile	54.9
7	Trinidad & Tobago	60.0
8	Bahamas	62.1
9	Jamaica	66.2
10	Panama	68.8
11	Argentina	76.4
12	Belize	76.5
13	Dominica	77.1
	The Americas Avg	76.34
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2025)69
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank69
1	Denmark	10.4
2	Netherlands	11.8
3	Finland	12.2
	...
32	S. Korea	42.3
33	Slovakia	43.0
34	Taiwan	45.2
35	Costa Rica	46.8
36	Malaysia	47.3
37	Mauritius	48.7
38	UAE	49.1
39	Uruguay	51.4
	World Avg	80.47
q=183.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 39 datasets, including multiple decades of data on resisting corruption, Creativity and Culture, overall happiness, Open Trading, Aid and Development, passport utility (so far), personal financial stability, World Giving Index, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty (so far), life expectancy inequality, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

8.1. National Culture Datasets

#charity #corruption #freedom #happiness #internationalism #morals #politics

Costa Rica has an adequate long-term record on corruption.

Corruption Higher is better70
Pos.		2022 Points70
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
45=	Dominica	55.0
45=	Poland	55.0
45=	St Lucia	55.0
48	Costa Rica	54.0
49=	Fiji	53.0
49=	Slovakia	53.0
51=	Grenada	52.0
51=	Cyprus	52.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
29	Singapore	29
30	Spain	30
31	Romania	31
32	Costa Rica	32
33	Serbia	33
34	S. Korea	34
35	New Zealand	35
36	Belize	36
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Happiness Higher is better71
Pos.		2024 Score71
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
4	Sweden	7.3
5	Netherlands	7.3
6	Costa Rica	7.3
7	Norway	7.3
8	Israel	7.2
9	Luxembourg	7.1
10	Mexico	7.0
11	Australia	7.0
12	New Zealand	7.0
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147. Also scored for 2010s.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
79	Tonga	79
80	Latvia	80
81	Romania	81
82	Costa Rica	82
83	Kuwait	83
84	Belarus	84
85	Saudi Arabia	85
86	Azerbaijan	86
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better72
Pos.		Passport Reach (2020s) Q72
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
57	St Vincent & Grenadines	152.5
58	Antigua & Barbuda	151.3
59	Trinidad & Tobago	150.3
60	Costa Rica	150.0
61	Mauritius	147.8
62	St Lucia	146.5
63	Grenada	145.5
64	Panama	144.2
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Higher is better73
Pos.		Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Score73
1	Denmark	9.06
2	Switzerland	9.00
3	Finland	8.96
	...
25	Czechia	8.19
26	France	8.17
27	Malta	8.15
28	Costa Rica	8.00
29	Cyprus	7.97
30	Estonia	7.94
31	Italy	7.86
32	Israel	7.85
	The Americas Avg	6.36
	World Avg	6.46
q=165.

World Giving Index Higher is better74
Pos.		2022 %74
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
42=	Dominican Rep.	44.0
42=	Kyrgyzstan	44.0
42=	Mexico	44.0
42=	Costa Rica	44.0
46=	Vietnam	43.0
46=	Iran	43.0
46=	Kosovo	43.0
46=	Bolivia	43.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125. Also scored for 2010s.

8.2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better75
Pos.		2023 Score75
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
36	Lithuania	1.67
37	UK	1.69
38	Macedonia	1.71
39	Costa Rica	1.73
40=	Vietnam	1.75
40=	Albania	1.75
42	Botswana	1.76
43	S. Korea	1.76
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163. Also scored for 2010s.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
13	Cameroon	13
14	Singapore	14
15	Colombia	15
16	Costa Rica	16
17	Hungary	17
18	Japan	18
19	Chile	19
20	Kazakhstan	20
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better40
Pos.		2017 Rank40
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
19	New Zealand	19
20	Luxembourg	20
21	Ireland	21
22	Costa Rica	22
23	Thailand	23
24	Poland	24
25	S. Africa	25
26	Chile	26
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better76
Pos.		2019 Score76
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
8	Benin	0.00
9	Mauritania	0.00
10	Slovenia	0.00
11	Costa Rica	0.00
12	Romania	0.00
13	El Salvador	0.00
14	Bhutan	0.01
15=	Trinidad & Tobago	0.02
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

8.3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better77
Pos.		Poverty (2020s) %77
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
54	Romania	1.65%
55	Armenia	1.86%
56	Serbia	1.92%
57	Costa Rica	1.99%
58	Palestine	2.07%
59	Suriname	2.18%
60	Montenegro	2.37%
61	Paraguay	2.43%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better78
Pos.		201978
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
54	Oman	6.70
55	Bahamas	6.80
56	Sri Lanka	7.00
57=	Costa Rica	7.10
57=	Russia	7.10
59	Albania	7.20
60=	Lebanon	7.40
60=	Ukraine	7.40
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better79
Pos.		2023 %79
1	Slovakia	24.1%80
2	Slovenia	24.3%80
3	Belarus	24.4%81
	...
149	Paraguay	45.1%82
150	Comoros	45.3%83
151	Nicaragua	46.2%83
152	Costa Rica	46.7%84
153	Honduras	48.2%85
154	Guatemala	48.3%83
155=	Panama	48.9%84
155=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	48.9%86
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167. Also scored for 1980s-2010s.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #catholicism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)62
Pos.		Lower is better %62
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
64=	Peru	73
65	S. Africa	75
66=	Ecuador	76
66=	Costa Rica	76
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71=	Dominican Rep.	78
71=	Iran	78
71=	Tunisia	78
74=	Bangladesh	80
74=	India	80
76	Iraq	82
77=	El Salvador	85
77=	Jordan	85
79=	Palestine	86
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)87
Pos.		Higher is better %87
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
74=	Nicaragua	1
74=	Bolivia	1
74=	Colombia	1
74=	Costa Rica	1
74=	Honduras	1
74=	Brazil	1
74=	Ecuador	1
74=	S. Africa	1
74=	Venezuela	1
74=	Peru	1
74=	Guatemala	1
74=	El Salvador	1
74=	Panama	1
87=	Somalia	0
87=	Sri Lanka	0
87=	Burundi	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₈:

	2010	2020
Christian	91.2%	87.9%
Unaffiliated	7.54%	10.1%
Other	1.09%	1.91%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%₈₉.

“The Catholic Church may be losing its grip [... - ] At present, Costa Rica is one of the few Western countries to have an official state religion. But a poll conducted by Unimer, for the newspaper La Nacion, showed that 47% of the Costa Rican population would rather live in a secular state - up from 41% two years ago. 30% of those questioned said they didn't mind if Costa Rica has an official religion or is secular, while 23% supported having the Catholic Church as an official religion (down from 27% in 2011).”

NSS (2013)₉₀

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₉₁, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Costa Rica states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However, the constitution establishes Catholicism as the state religion and requires that the state contribute to its maintenance. The constitution also prohibits the state from impeding the free exercise of other religions that do not impugn universal morality or proper behavior.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religion is responsible for managing the government's relationship with the Catholic Church and other religious groups. The ministry includes funding in its annual budget for maintenance and repairs of some Catholic churches. The Catholic Church receives exemptions from income and real estate taxes. The law allows the government to provide land to the Catholic Church. Government-to-church land transfers typically are effected through periodic legislation. Public schools provide Catholic religious instruction. Students may obtain exemptions with the permission of their parents.”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₉₂

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?