Costa Rica is the second country in Latin America and 17th worldwide with the best democracy, according to The Economist’s Democracy Index.
The Democracy Index began in 2006 and provides a broad panorama of “the state of democracy worldwide.”
It considers five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties.
Based on the results, each nation is classified as a full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, or authoritarian regime.
“According to the 2022 Democracy Index, 72 of the 167 countries and territories covered by the model, or 43.1% of the total, can be considered democracies,” the publication explained.
With an overall score of 8.29, Costa Rica was categorized as a full democracy. The exercise of civil liberties and electoral pluralism were the areas with the highest scores, with 9.71 and 9.58, respectively.
Meanwhile, political culture was the lowest parameter, with a score of 6.88, followed by government functioning (7.50) and political participation of the population (7.78).
Venezuela (2.23), Nicaragua (2.50), and Cuba (2.65) occupy the last positions. On the other hand, Uruguay continues to lead the region, while Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica are also on the list.
From a global perspective, Norway, New Zealand, and Iceland have the most robust democracies, while Afghanistan, Myanmar, and North Korea are considered the most authoritarian.
“The predominance of OECD countries among those ranked as “full democracies” suggests that the level of economic development can be a significant, if not binding, constraint on democratic development. Other factors that are important in determining the quality of democracy are a history of independent statehood; the nature of state development; and the quality of state institutions,” the study revealed.
Among the threats to democracy, experts include Drug traffickers, insurgents, warlords, and cyber hackers.
“Powerful drug cartels in Latin America and the Caribbean challenge state control over territory and are corrosive of national institutions, as well as threatening the security of ordinary citizens. This problem has exacerbated already high levels of corruption in the region and is eroding democratic norms in many countries,” the Index pointed out.
