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The following table contains a list of the 'presidents' and heads of state of 'Costa Rica' since Central American independence from Spain and Mexico. From 1823 to 1839 Costa Rica was a state within the United States of Central America; since then it has been an independent nation.
''See also:'' Politics of Costa Rica, List of political parties in Costa Rica, History of Costa Rica

'Heads of State of Costa Rica'	'  Term  '	'  Party  '	'Notes'
Juan Mora Fernández	1825-1833		Two successive periods; re-elected in 1829.
José Rafael de Gallegos y Alvarado	1833-1835
Manuel Fernández Chacón	1835
Braulio Carrillo Colina	1835-1837		First term.
Manuel Aguilar Chacón	1837-1838
Braulio Carrillo Colina	1838-1842		Second term.
Francisco Morazán Quesada	Apr-Sep 1842		Deposed by popular uprising; executed 15 September 1842.
Antonio Pinto Soares	Sept 1842		Came to power in popular uprising, and quickly resigned.
José María Alfaro Zamora	1842-1844		First term.
Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla	1844-1846
José María Alfaro Zamora	1846-1847		Second term.
José María Castro Madriz	1847-1848
' Presidents of the Republic of Costa Rica '	'  Term  '	'  Party  '	'Notes'
José María Castro Madriz	1848-1849		"Founder of the Republic". First presidential term.
Miguel Mora Porras	1849
Juan Rafael Mora Porras	1849-1859
José María Montealegre Fernández	1859-1863
Jesús Jiménez Zamora	1863-1866		First term.
José María Castro Madriz	1866-1868		Second presidential term.
Jesús Jiménez Zamora	1868-1870		Second term.
Bruno Carranza Ramírez	Apr-Aug 1870		Coup d'état.
Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez	1870-1876		First term.
Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz	May-Jul 1876		Coup d'état.
Vicente Herrera Zeledón	1876-1877
Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez	1877-1882		Second term.
Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez	1882
Próspero Fernández Oreamuno	1882-1885		Died in office.
Bernardo Soto Alfaro	1885-1890		Elected in his own right in 1886.
José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón	1890-1894
Rafael Yglesias Castro	1894-1902		Two consecutive terms.
Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra	1902-1906
Cleto González Víquez	1906-1910		First term.
Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno	1910-1914		Son of Jesús Jiménez Zamora. First term.
Alfredo González Flores	1914-1917		Deposed by Tinoco in a coup.
Federico Tinoco Granados	1917-1919		Two consecutive terms. Overthrown by popular uprising.
Juan Bautista Quirós Segura	Aug-Sep 1919		Forced to resign by the U.S. government.
Francisco Aguilar Barquero	1919-1920		Interim presidency; dictatorial powers.
Julio Acosta García	1920-1924
Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno	1924-1928		Second term.
Cleto González Víquez	1928-1932		Second term.
Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno	1932-1936		Third term.
León Cortés Castro	1936-1940
Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia	1940-1944
Teodoro Picado Michalski	1944-1948
José Figueres Ferrer	1948-1949	PLN	Came to power in civil war. Returned power to elected president after re-organizing the government. First term.
Luis Rafael Otilio Ulate Blanco	1949-1953
José Figueres Ferrer	1953-1958	PLN	Second term.
Mario Echandi Jiménez	1958-1962
Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich	1962-1966	PLN
José Joaquín Trejos Fernández	1966-1970
José Figueres Ferrer	1970-1974	PLN	Third term. Presidential re-election disallowed.
Daniel Oduber Quirós	1974-1978	PLN
Rodrigo Alberto Carazo Odio	1978-1982	PUSC
Luis Alberto Monge Álvarez	1982-1986	PLN
Óscar Arias Sánchez	1986-1990	PLN	First term; Nobel Peace Prize winner 1987.
Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier	1990-1994	PUSC	Son of Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia.
José María Figueres Olsen	1994-1998	PLN	Son of José Figueres Ferrer.
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría	1998-2002	PUSC
Abel Pacheco de la Espriella	2002-2006	PUSC	Presidential re-election re-instated.
Óscar Arias Sánchez	2006-2010	PLN	Second term.