See also: Politics of Costa Rica, List of political parties in Costa Rica, History of Costa Rica

{| align=left border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=1 |- bgcolor=#E4E8FF !Heads of State of Costa Rica!!  Term  !!  Party  !!Notes

|- align=center |Juan Mora Fernández ||1825-1833 || ||Two successive periods; re-elected in 1828.

|- align=center |José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado ||1833-1835 || ||First term.

|- align=center |Braulio Carrillo Colina ||1835-1837 || ||First term.

|- align=center |Manuel Aguilar Chacón ||1837-1838 || ||

|- align=center |Braulio Carrillo Colina ||1838-1842 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |Francisco Morazán Quesada ||Apr-Sep 1842 || ||Executed/assassinated 15 September 1842.

|- align=center |José María Alfaro Zamora ||1842-1844 || ||First term.

|- align=center |Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla ||Nov-Dec 1844 || ||

|- align=center |Rafael Mora Murillo ||1844 || ||

|- align=center |José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado ||1845-1846 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |José María Alfaro Zamora ||1846-1847 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |José María Castro Madriz ||1847-1848 || ||

|- align=center bgcolor=#E4E8FF !Presidents of the Republic of Costa Rica!!  Term  !!  Party  !!Notes

|- align=center |José María Castro Madriz ||1848-1849 || ||"Founder of the Republic". First presidential term.

|- align=center |Juan Rafael Mora Porras ||1849-1859 || ||

|- align=center |José María Montealegre Fernández ||1859-1863 || ||

|- align=center |Jesús Jiménez Zamora ||1863-1866 || ||First term.

|- align=center |José María Castro Madriz ||1866-1868 || ||Second presidential term.

|- align=center |Jesús Jiménez Zamora ||1868-1870 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |Bruno Carranza Ramírez ||Apr-Aug 1870 || ||Coup d'état.

|- align=center |Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez ||1870-1876 || ||First term.

|- align=center |Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz ||May-Jul 1876 || ||Coup d'état.

|- align=center |Vicente Herrera Zeledón ||1876-1877 || ||

|- align=center |Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez ||1877-1882 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |Próspero Fernández Oreamuno ||1882-1885 || ||Died in office.

|- align=center |Bernardo Soto Alfaro ||1885-1889 || ||Elected in his own right in 1886; resigned 1889.

|- align=center |Carlos Durán Cartín ||1889-1890 || ||

|- align=center |José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón ||1890-1894 || ||

|- align=center |Rafael Yglesias Castro ||1894-1902 || ||Two consecutive terms.

|- align=center |Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra ||1902-1906 || ||

|- align=center |Cleto González Víquez ||1906-1910 || ||First term.

|- align=center |Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno ||1910-1914 || ||Son of Jesús Jiménez Zamora. First term.

|- align=center |Alfredo González Flores ||1914-1917 || ||Deposed by Tinoco in a coup.

|- align=center |Federico Tinoco Granados ||1917-1919 || ||Military dictatorship. Overthrown by popular uprising.

|- align=center |Juan Bautista Quirós Segura ||Aug-Sep 1919 || ||Interim president.

|- align=center |Francisco Aguilar Barquero ||1919-1920 || ||Interim presidency; dictatorial powers.

|- align=center |Julio Acosta García ||1920-1924 || ||

|- align=center |Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno ||1924-1928 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |Cleto González Víquez ||1928-1932 || ||Second term.

|- align=center |Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno ||1932-1936 || ||Third term.

|- align=center |León Cortés Castro ||1936-1940 || ||

|- align=center |Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia ||1940-1944 || ||

|- align=center |Teodoro Picado Michalski ||1944-1948 || ||Deposed.

|- align=center |José Figueres Ferrer ||1948-1949 ||PLN ||Came to power in popular uprising, civil war. First term.

|- align=center |Luis Rafael Otilio Ulate Blanco ||1949-1953 || ||

|- align=center |José Figueres Ferrer ||1953-1958 ||PLN ||Second term.

|- align=center |Mario Echandi Jiménez ||1958-1962 || ||

|- align=center |Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich ||1962-1966 ||PLN ||

|- align=center |José Joaquín Trejos Fernández ||1966-1970 || ||

|- align=center |José Figueres Ferrer ||1970-1974 ||PLN ||Third term.

|- align=center |Daniel Oduber Quirós ||1974-1978 ||PLN ||

|- align=center |Rodrigo Alberto Carazo Odio ||1978-1982 ||Unidad ||

|- align=center |Luis Alberto Monge Álvarez ||1982-1986 ||PLN ||

|- align=center |Óscar Arias Sánchez ||1986-1990 ||PLN ||Nobel Peace Prize winner 1987.

|- align=center |Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier ||1990-1994 ||PUSC ||Son of Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia.

|- align=center |José María Figueres Olsen ||1994-1998 ||PLN ||Son of José Figueres Ferrer.

|- align=center |Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría ||1998-2002 ||PUSC ||

|- align=center |Abel Pacheco de la Espriella ||2002-2006 ||PUSC || |}