London – The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2024 Democracy Index reveals a concerning global trend, with a decline in democratic standards worldwide. The global average score has fallen to 5.17, down from 5.23 in 2023.

Despite this global downturn, Costa Rica has managed to maintain its "full democracy" status, retaining its 2023 score of 8.29. This places Costa Rica 18th globally, and second in Latin America, trailing only Uruguay.

The Democracy Index, which evaluates 167 countries and territories, assesses five key categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, government functioning, political participation, and political culture. Costa Rica achieved strong scores in electoral processes and civil liberties, but faced lower scores in political culture, and government functioning.

Globally, Norway leads the index, followed by New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland, and Switzerland. Conversely, countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea occupy the lowest positions.

The report highlights growing concerns about the health of democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean. It notes a trend of declining democratic standards across the region, and warns of the rise of authoritarian leaders gaining popular support. The report indicates that people are willing to trade democratic standards for better security. One of the main concerns for the region is its low political culture score.

Costa Rica’s continued status as a “full democracy” is a positive indicator for the region, however the overall trend of democratic decline is cause for concern.