Costa Rica is one of only two countries in Latin America where a majority of people believe their nation is moving in the right direction, according to the newly released 2026 Latinobarómetro Report. Costa Rica ranked second in the region, with 57% of those surveyed saying it is heading in the right direction. El Salvador was the clear leader at 79%.
Every other country included in the study fell below 50%. Peru recorded the lowest figure, at 21%. Across Latin America as a whole, just 35% of respondents said their country was moving in the right direction. The result places Costa Rica well above the regional mood at a time when dissatisfaction with governments, crime, economic pressures and political institutions remains widespread across much of Latin America.
Latinobarómetro said the regional figure has moved considerably over the years. In 2003, 29% of respondents believed their country was going in the right direction. That rose to 45% in 2009 before returning to 35% in the 2026 survey. Costa Rica also stood out when people were asked a much more personal question.
Nine out of 10 Costa Ricans, or 90%, said they were satisfied with their lives, the highest percentage of any country included in the study. The Latin American average was 78%, while Bolivia ranked lowest at 61%. That difference between how people view their country and how they view their own lives is one of the more interesting findings in the report.
Across the region, only 35% said Costa Rica was heading in the right direction, but 82% said they and their families were personally moving in the right direction. Latinobarómetro has tracked that gap for years, showing that frustration with national conditions does not necessarily mean people are unhappy with their own lives.
Costa Rica is unusual because it scores strongly on both measures. A majority believes the nation is moving in the right direction, while Costa Ricans also report the highest level of life satisfaction in the region. The timing of the survey is also worth mentioning since Latinobarómetro conducted its 2026 fieldwork between May 7 and June 17, a period that coincided with Costa Rica’s political transition. President Laura Fernández was sworn into office on May 8.
The 57% figure, however, should not be treated as an approval rating for Fernández or any particular government. Latinobarómetro asked respondents about the direction of their country, a broader measure that can reflect views about the economy, security, politics and personal expectations.
The 2026 study was based on 19,207 face-to-face interviews in 17 Latin American countries. Researchers surveyed adults aged 18 and older, conducting 1,000 interviews in each Central American country and the Dominican Republic and 1,200 in each South American country and Mexico.
Latinobarómetro reports a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for individual country samples and 1 percentage point for the regional sample. Nicaragua was not included because of security concerns. The report was released on October 2 and forms part of Latinobarómetro’s long-running examination of public opinion, democracy and social attitudes across the region.
