In our commitment to foster inclusive and sustainable development throughout Costa Rica, we announce the launch of the third edition of the Cantonal Social Progress Index (IPS Cantonal). The Cantonal IPS emerges as a comprehensive tool to evaluate the collective well-being in the cantons of our country; through 12 social and environmental components, it measures beyond the cantonal economic performance.
Based on 52 carefully selected social and environmental indicators, the Cantonal IPS 2024 provides a comprehensive view of cantonal well-being. Data collection for this index comes from reliable secondary sources, including the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, the Ministry of Public Education, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, and the Comptroller General's Office, among others.
On the importance of measuring the GPI at the cantonal level: "Measuring the GPI at the cantonal level is essential to capture local dynamics, allowing us to act accurately in strengthening the well-being and sustainable development of our communities." - Jaime Garcia director of IPS in Latin America
The results reveal that 54% of Costa Ricans live in cantons with a medium-low to low level of social progress, partly due to the impacts of the pandemic and the systemic crisis it caused. In contrast with the 2020 measurement, there is deterioration in Security, Health, Inclusion, Water and Sanitation, and Nutrition and Basic Health Care.
On average, with the most recent measurement, the highest scores were recorded in the Housing (94.43 points), and Water and Sanitation (91.18 points) components; while the lowest scores were observed in Advanced Education (43.06 points), Citizen Rights and Voice (40.88 points), and Information and Communications (38.86 points), being critical areas that require attention and improvement.
One finding to take into account is that the cantons with the highest lags, especially those with scores below 60, continue to be mainly in coastal and border areas. It was also found that there are cantons that despite having lower levels of economic income, are able to generate outstanding levels of social progress, as shown by the canton of Heredia, the best positioned in the Cantonal IPS with 76.88 points.
In addition, Montes de Oca, Belén, Escazú, Cartago, Curridabat, San Isidro, Paraíso, San Pablo, Moravia, and Desamparados have demonstrated outstanding performance, exceeding 70 points and establishing themselves as leaders in social progress within the country in this edition of the index.
To deepen the analysis and better understand the data that have modeled the Cantonal Social Progress Index 2024, we invite authorities, academics, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and interested citizens to visit the online platform. This digital tool not only provides full access to the index results, but also offers additional resources and detailed analysis that can serve as a basis for the development of strategies and policies aimed at strengthening collective well-being in Costa Rica.
On the use of the Cantonal IPS: "The IPS is a tool that can help maximize the impact on the collective welfare of the cantons, if it is considered as a tool to articulate different social and economic programs in order to focus resources around the level of government closest to the citizen" - Roberto Artavia, President of the Board of Directors of INCAE Business School.
See the complete results on our platform: IPS Cantonal 2024
