Relationship dossier
Costa Rica
Venezuela
Relationship assessment
Costa Rica’s criticism of Venezuela’s government and Venezuela’s 2024 diplomatic measures have strained relations.
Costa Rica toward Venezuela
-50Costa Rica recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president in 2019 and rejected the credibility of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, taking a critical position toward the Venezuelan government.
Venezuela toward Costa Rica
-35In 2024, Venezuela ordered Costa Rican diplomatic personnel to leave the country amid its dispute with Costa Rica and several other governments over the presidential election.
Overall relationship
-40Relations have been shaped by Costa Rica’s support for Venezuela’s opposition leadership and its criticism of the 2024 election, followed by Venezuela’s order for Costa Rican diplomatic personnel to leave. These episodes indicate substantial political and diplomatic friction; the scope of cooperation in other areas is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Costa Rica has taken a critical stance toward the Venezuelan government, including recognizing Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president in 2019 and rejecting the credibility of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election. Venezuela’s government ordered Costa Rican diplomatic personnel to leave in 2024. These disputes have strained bilateral relations, though the scope of other government cooperation is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Disagreement over the legitimacy of Venezuela’s political leadership and electoral processes.
- Venezuela’s 2024 order for Costa Rican diplomatic personnel to leave.
Key developments
Costa Rica recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president.
Venezuela ordered Costa Rican diplomatic personnel to leave amid a dispute over the presidential election.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of cooperation outside diplomatic and electoral disputes is unclear.
- The longer-term implementation and effects of the 2024 diplomatic measures are unclear.