Costa Rica is a democratic republic headed by a president and a directly elected, unicameral legislature. Multi-party elections, on the basis of universal suffrage and secret ballot, are held every 4 years. Presidents may seek re-election after being out of office for 2 terms. Both presidential and Legislative Assembly elections were held in 2006. The presidential election was a close vote, and the Superior Electoral Tribunal ordered a manual recount.

Women hold 22 seats in the 57-seat Legislative Assembly, and Costa Rica is cited as one of the countries making progress to gender equality. No legal impediments hinder the participation of women in politics, and they are increasingly represented in leadership positions. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal requires that a minimum of 40% of candidates for elective office be female, and this has to be reflected on the ballots by party slate. Indigenous people have not played a significant role in politics except on issues directly concerning land. Indigenous people constitute 1% of the population and are isolated from the majority of the population. Afro-Caribbean people are the other minority group.

The judiciary is independent, and all persons are equal before the law. The Supreme Court is noted for independence and integrity. Trials are public, except those concerning juveniles. Accusations of alleged conflict of interest have surfaced, and corruption remains an issue despite efforts to combat it. Some members of the security forces are accused of human rights abuses. Statements acquired through use of violence are invalid in court. The Ombudsman submits reports of police misconduct for action. Impunity is not a problem.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed. Criminal penalties, instead of civil fines, are imposed for press infractions, and journalists argue that this promotes self-censorship to avoid accusations of libel and defamation and the associated penalties.

Costa Rica is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children trafficked for the purposes of labour and sexual exploitation. Child sex tourism is a major problem in the country.

The legal framework for education is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards. Primary education is compulsory, free and universal. The law requires 6 years of primary and 3 years of secondary education for all children aged 6 to 15. School attendance requirements are enforced. The Ministry of Education reports that the estimated dropout rate was 1.4% for primary and 4.4% for secondary school. Equal access to education and health care services is guaranteed to all minors, regardless of gender or legal residency status.

1,500 children are reported to be living on the streets. Drug addiction and prostitution are problems. The minimum age for work is concordant with the end of compulsory education at age 15. Roman Catholicism is the state religion, and religious education teachers in public schools must be certified by the Conference of Bishops, which does not certify teachers from other denominations. Private schools are free to offer any religious instruction.

A 2-year ECE programme begins at age 4. 11% of ECE is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 100% (49% female). There are 6,255 ECE teachers, of whom 95% are women and 91% are trained. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 16 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 15. Primary education begins at age 6 and lasts for 6 years. 7% of primary education is private, and 7% of students repeat grades. Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 89% reach the final grade level of primary school. The NER is 96%. There are 24,975 primary teachers, of whom 79% are women and 97% are trained. The PTR is 22 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and is completed in 5 years. 17% of students in lower secondary education study in technical programmes, a level that rises to 28% in upper secondary. The NER is 50%. 10% of students repeat grades. Secondary teachers total 16,719 (53% female), with 11,861 in lower secondary and 4,858 in upper secondary. The PTR is 18 : 1 in lower and 16 : 1 in upper secondary school.

79,499 students (52% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 19%. At this level 4,495 academics are employed. Students come to study in Costa Rica from other Latin American and Caribbean countries (1,015), North America and Western Europe (445), Asia (44) Central and Eastern Europe (11) and Arab States (2). Meanwhile, Costa Rican students study overseas, mainly in the USA (907), Cuba (199), Germany (119), France (70) and the UK (48).

Discrimination is prohibited against persons with disabilities in education and other state services. The Ministry of Education operates a Programme for Persons with Disabilities that includes a national resource centre to provide parents, students, and teachers with advanced counselling and training, and information services. There are 13,162 special needs students registered in the school system, and 1,378 special education centres to assist them.
Juveniles are held in special detention facilities that are modelled on a campus-like setting, where training programmes are provided.

Costa Rica has ratified the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. Refugee applications have to be adjudicated within a month of receipt, allowing children to attend school with a minimum delay.

The population includes nearly 64,000 indigenous persons among 8 ethnic groups. Approximately 73% live in traditional communities on 22 reserves, which, because of their remote location, lack access to schools.

Academic freedom is not reported as being restricted, nor is access to the internet. Costa Rica did not endure the erosion of academic freedom that took place in universities in Latin American countries governed by dictators, but the introduction of new administrative instruments and procedures is seen by some academics as intended to ensure that criticism of the government does not emanate from the universities. Some 20% of students in Costa Rica are in private universities.

Legislation prohibits discrimination and requires the promotion of political, economic, social and cultural equality. Women make up 36.6% of the labour force; 76% of working women are in the service sector. Women hold 45% of professional and technical positions and 30% of senior of legislative and managerial positions. 20% of working women have some university education compared with 11% of working men. Legally, women are entitled to equal pay for work of equal value, but men earn 28% more on average.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is legally prohibited, and the law is enforced. Domestic violence is a serious social problem. Sex tourism and trafficking are growing problems. Indirect assistance to victims of trafficking is provided through stay-in-school programs.

The minimum age for work is 15. With special permission adolescents (aged 15 to 18) may work for 6 hours a day. Night work and overtime work are forbidden for minors. Facilities must be available to allow minors to attend school, where programmes and timetables can be adapted to their employment conditions. Apprenticeship training programmes use such methods. Child labour in the informal sector is a problem.

Costa Rica has a national programme of action on child labour. The government and the ILO work to eradicate child labour. Poor families qualify for loans and economic assistance as well as for scholarships to help cover the indirect costs of attending school. A child labour awareness campaign implements projects to remove children from work and return them to school.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions. About 12% of the work force is unionised, and approximately 80% of union members are public sector employees. Unions are independent of government. In some private sector industries the trend to less militant management-sponsored "solidarity associations" is displacing unions and discouraging collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is allowed and does take place. Private sector unions have the legal right to engage in collective bargaining. The right to strike is guaranteed. Before a strike can take place, 60% of workers in an enterprise must vote for strike action. Restriction on the right to strike applies to essential services personnel. Forced or compulsory labour is illegal.

The National Wage Council sets the monthly minimum wage, which ranges from US$133 (59,593 colones) for domestic employees to approximately $523 (234,503 colones) for university graduates. This law is enforced mainly in San Jose. The workday is usually 8 hours.