Latin America & Caribbean · edition 2023

Costa Rica 2023: strong institutions, weak rules

Costa Rica's strongest dimension is capacities and processes; its weakest is enabling environment. The framework is not yet translating evenly into practice.

93 indicators 30 procuring entities 4 dimensions

Overall ITI score

52.8/100

Global average: 44.2

+5.3 vs previous edition

The ITI score

Transparency improved: up 5.3 points since 2021

8.6 points above the global average. Capacities and processes carries the score; enabling environment holds it back.

National ITI score by edition

47.5202152.8202366.92025

View as table

Edition	Overall ITI score
2021	47.5
2023	52.8
2025	66.9

Score by dimension, 2023

Enabling environment47.3

Capacities and processes55.4

Citizen participation53.4

Data publication53.8

Dashed marks show the global average. Click a year to open that edition.

Inside the four dimensions

Where the score comes from

Enabling environment

47.3/100

▲ 16.9

Strongest area:Easy access to information in digital information platforms100

Weakest area:Infrastructure data disclosure standard · Infrastructure data disclosure standard proactively published as open data +1 more0

Explore 3 sub-areas

1.1Legal framework and digital tools47.3

1.1.1Access to public information regulatory framework55

1.1.2Transparency standards in the public infrastructure sector20

1.1.3National digital information tools76

Capacities and processes

55.4/100

▲ 13.6

Strongest area:Computer equipment96.7

Weakest area:Plan to mitigate limitations for publishing information18

Explore 5 sub-areas

2.1Institutional capacities72.1

2.1.1Basic knowledge60.8

2.1.2Digital capacities83.4

2.2Institutional processes44.3

2.2.1Procedures to disclose information56.7

2.2.2Enablers and barriers to disclose information39.8

2.2.3Control over infrastructure projects disclosure35

Citizen participation

53.4/100

▲ 16.1

Strongest area:Institutional response capacity78.7

Weakest area:Improvements as a response to citizen participation17.3

Explore 2 sub-areas

3.1Participation practices53.4

3.1.1Participation opportunities58.2

3.1.2Use of information by citizens49.6

Data publication

53.8/100

▼ 13.3

Strongest area:Project owner95

Weakest area:Land and settlement impact12.7

Explore 6 sub-areas

4.1Disclosure practices53.8

4.1.1Project identification81.7

4.1.2Project preparation39.8

4.1.3Execution contract procurement66.9

4.1.4Supervision contract procurement68.4

4.1.5Execution contract implementation15.2

4.1.6Supervision contract implementation36.7

Procuring entities

How 30 procuring entities compare

Scores run from 89.7 to 0, with a median of 57.2.

1Leading80 to 100

8Strong60 to 79

17Developing40 to 59

4Weak0 to 39

#
1	Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias	89.7	91.6	88.9	88.5
2	Universidad Estatal a Distancia	76.6	81.6	76.5	72.3
3	Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo S.A.	74.6	68	57.8	91
4	Banco Popular y de Desarrollo Comunal	72.8	56.5	64.4	92.4
5	Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados	69.9	68.6	81.9	63.7
6	Universidad de Costa Rica	65.4	79.8	63.1	54.2
7	Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje	64.7	72.3	58.6	61.8
8	Instituto Nacional de Seguros	63.2	80.1	56.2	52.7
9	Municipalidad de Santa Ana	63.1	73.2	81.9	42.5
10	Municipalidad de San Carlos	59.9	59	62.8	58.8
11	Municipalidad de Cartago	59.7	58.3	55.1	63.8
12	Municipalidad de Moravia	59.5	65	80.8	41.3
13	Corte Suprema de Justicia Poder Judicial	59.4	46.1	63.7	68.3
14	Consejo Nacional de Vialidad	58.6	49.6	49.2	72.4
15	Instituto de Desarrollo Rural	58.6	61.9	30.8	73
16	Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres	57.2	60.1	73.5	44.5
17	Universidad Nacional	54.6	84.8	49.5	31.5
18	Municipalidad de Alajuela	54.4	57.4	78.9	36.6
19	Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica	53	86.5	51.7	24.4
20	Dirección General de Aviación Civil	52.9	53.6	39.5	60.7
21	Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social	48.6	58.9	54.8	35.7
22	Municipalidad de Sarapiquí	45.5	18.8	20.9	84.3
23	Consejo de Seguridad Vial	43.1	40.2	46.2	43.8
24	Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes	43	36.1	50.4	44.4
25	Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas, Riego y Avenamiento	41.5	31.4	26.4	59.8
26	Municipalidad de Pococí	40.7	45.7	47	32.5
27	Municipalidad de Buenos Aires	35.2	25.7	39.6	40.8
28	Municipalidad de Tarrazú	34	31.7	36.9	34.3
29	Patronato de Construcciones Instalaciones y Adquisición de Bienes del Ministerio de Justicia y Paz	29.3	19.9	16.8	45.3
30	Empresa de Servicios Publicos de Heredia	0	0	0	0

Entity dashboard

Inspect one entity in depth

Choose an entity

Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias

Ranked #1 of 30 entities

89.7PE ITI score

Capacities and processes36.2 above average91.6

Citizen participation35.5 above average88.9

Information disclosure34.7 above average88.5

Ticks mark the average across all 30 entities.

Full detail The complete 93-indicator breakdown

National ITI ScoreScore52.8

1Enabling environmentDimension47.3

1.1Legal framework and digital toolsVariable47.3

1.1.1Access to public information regulatory frameworkSub-variable55

1.1.1.1Access-to-public information lawIndicator40

1.1.1.2Right to request public informationIndicator80

1.1.1.3Sanctions over non-compliance with access to public information mandatesIndicator60

1.1.1.4Organisation guaranteeing the sanctionsIndicator40

1.1.2Transparency standards in the public infrastructure sectorSub-variable20

1.1.2.1Proactive publication of information on public procurement processesIndicator60

1.1.2.2Proactive publication of information on public infrastructure projectsIndicator40

1.1.2.3Infrastructure data disclosure standardIndicator0

1.1.2.4Infrastructure data disclosure standard proactively published as open dataIndicator0

1.1.2.5Organisation responsible for the infrastructure data disclosure standardIndicator0

1.1.3National digital information toolsSub-variable76

1.1.3.1Centralised digital information platformsIndicator60

1.1.3.2Easy access to information in digital information platformsIndicator100

1.1.3.3Infrastructure projects geographic information system (GIS) platformIndicator60

2Capacities and processesDimension55.4

2.1Institutional capacitiesVariable72.1

2.1.1Basic knowledgeSub-variable60.8

2.1.1.1Knowledge about the access-to-information lawIndicator70

2.1.1.2Knowledge about transparency initiatives in the infrastructure sectorIndicator57.3

2.1.1.3Knowledge about the transparency data standard in the infrastructure sectorIndicator40

2.1.1.4Knowledge about sanctions due to non-compliance on the access-to-public-information lawIndicator54

2.1.1.5Knowledge about different data categoriesIndicator82.7

2.1.2Digital capacitiesSub-variable83.4

2.1.2.1Computer equipmentIndicator96.7

2.1.2.2Connectivity to the internetIndicator91.3

2.1.2.3Institutional websiteIndicator88.7

2.1.2.4Information systems for infrastructure projectsIndicator72.7

2.1.2.5Use of digital information systemsIndicator77.3

2.1.2.6Infrastructure open data publicationIndicator58.7

2.1.2.7Visualisations based on infrastructure projects dataIndicator72

2.2Institutional processesVariable44.3

2.2.1Procedures to disclose informationSub-variable56.7

2.2.1.1Procedures for the publication of informationIndicator45.3

2.2.1.2Responsibilities for disclosureIndicator44.7

2.2.1.3Information officer profileIndicator52.7

2.2.1.4Information officerIndicator64.7

2.2.1.5Follow-up mechanisms on information requestsIndicator76

2.2.2Enablers and barriers to disclose informationSub-variable39.8

2.2.2.1Internal policy for information publicationIndicator28.7

2.2.2.2Disclosure training programmeIndicator26

2.2.2.3Identification of limitations for publishing informationIndicator78.7

2.2.2.4Plan to mitigate limitations for publishing informationIndicator18

2.2.2.5Bureaucratic barriers to publish informationIndicator61.3

2.2.2.6Documentation of non-compliance and sanctionsIndicator34.7

2.2.3Control over infrastructure projects disclosureSub-variable35

2.2.3.1Level of disclosed infrastructure projectsIndicator36.7

2.2.3.2Level of investment represented by disclosed infrastructure projectsIndicator33.3

3Citizen participationDimension53.4

3.1Participation practicesVariable53.4

3.1.1Participation opportunitiesSub-variable58.2

3.1.1.1Institutionalised citizen participationIndicator61.3

3.1.1.2Permanent and inclusive citizen participationIndicator56.7

3.1.1.3Citizen participation in infrastructure projectsIndicator38

3.1.1.4Citizen attention officeIndicator70.7

3.1.1.5Online form for consultation or requestsIndicator56

3.1.1.6Awareness of participation opportunitiesIndicator72.7

3.1.2Use of information by citizensSub-variable49.6

3.1.2.1Centralised citizen complaintsIndicator62

3.3.2.2Requests and responses of access to informationIndicator42

3.3.2.3Institutional response capacityIndicator78.7

3.3.2.4Institutional use evidenceIndicator62

3.3.2.5Citizens use evidenceIndicator38

3.3.2.6Evidence of joint projectsIndicator59.3

3.3.2.7Improvements as a response to citizen participationIndicator17.3

4Information disclosureDimension53.8

4.1Disclosure practicesVariable53.8

4.1.1Project identificationSub-variable81.7

4.1.1.1Project reference numberIndicator93.3

4.1.1.2Project ownerIndicator95

4.1.1.3Sector and sub-sectorIndicator72

4.1.1.4Project nameIndicator94.3

4.1.1.5Project locationIndicator91.7

4.1.1.6Project descriptionIndicator91.7

4.1.1.7PurposeIndicator57

4.1.2Project preparationSub-variable39.8

4.1.2.1Environmental impactIndicator23.3

4.1.2.2Land and settlement impactIndicator12.7

4.1.2.3Contact detailsIndicator65

4.1.2.4Project budget and date of approvalIndicator69.3

4.1.2.5Funding sourcesIndicator86.7

4.1.3Execution contract procurementSub-variable66.9

4.1.3.1Procuring entity and contact detailsIndicator80.7

4.1.3.2Procurement processIndicator88.3

4.1.3.3Number of firms biddingIndicator68.3

4.1.3.4Contract typeIndicator80

4.1.3.5Contract titleIndicator51.7

4.1.3.6Contract priceIndicator88.3

4.1.3.7Contract start dateIndicator30

4.1.3.8Contract durationIndicator43.3

4.1.3.9Contractor(s)Indicator69.3

4.1.3.10Contract scope of workIndicator69.3

4.1.4Supervision contract procurementSub-variable68.4

4.1.4.1Procuring entity and contact detailsIndicator81

4.1.4.2Procurement processIndicator90

4.1.4.3Number of firms/individuals biddingIndicator81.7

4.1.4.4Contract typeIndicator86.7

4.1.4.5Contract titleIndicator48.3

4.1.4.6Contract priceIndicator56.7

4.1.4.7Contract start dateIndicator40

4.1.4.8Contract durationIndicator50

4.1.4.9Contract firm/individualIndicator71

4.1.4.10Contract scope of workIndicator78.3

4.1.5Execution contract implementationSub-variable15.2

4.1.5.1Variation to contract priceIndicator16.7

4.1.5.2Reasons for price changesIndicator15.3

4.1.5.3Variation to contract durationIndicator18.3

4.1.5.4Reasons for contract duration changesIndicator15.3

4.1.5.5Variation to contract scopeIndicator13.3

4.1.5.6Reasons for scope changesIndicator13.3

4.1.6Supervision contract implementationSub-variable36.7

4.1.6.1Variation to contract priceIndicator36.7

4.1.6.2Reasons for price changesIndicator36.7

4.1.6.3Variation to contract durationIndicator36.7

4.1.6.4Reasons for duration changesIndicator36.7

4.1.6.5Variation to contract scopeIndicator36.7

4.1.6.6Reasons for scope changesIndicator36.7

Costa Rica 2023: strong institutions, weak rules

Transparency improved: up 5.3 points since 2021

Where the score comes from

How 30 procuring entities compare

Inspect one entity in depth

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