Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country’s democratic development. On 1 December 1948, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
land: 51,060 sq km
water: 40 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
border countries (2): Nicaragua 313 km; Panama 348 km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 746 m
arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 51.5% (2018 est.)
other: 11.4% (2018 est.)
5,256,612 (2023 est.)
noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican
White or Mestizo 83.6%, Mulatto 6.7%, Indigenous 2.4%, Black or African descent 1.1%, other 1.1%, none 2.9%, unspecified 2.2% (2011 est.)
Spanish (official), English
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 47.5%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 19.8%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.4%, other Protestant 1.2%, other 3.1%, none 27% (2021 est.)
Costa Rica’s political stability, high standard of living, and well-developed social benefits system set it apart from its Central American neighbors. Through the government’s sustained social spending - almost 20% of GDP annually - Costa Rica has made tremendous progress toward achieving its goal of providing universal access to education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and electricity. Since the 1970s, expansion of these services has led to a rapid decline in infant mortality, an increase in life expectancy at birth, and a sharp decrease in the birth rate. The average number of children born per women has fallen from about 7 in the 1960s to 3.5 in the early 1980s to below replacement level today. Costa Rica’s poverty rate is lower than in most Latin American countries, but it has stalled at around 20% for almost two decades.Costa Rica is a popular regional immigration destination because of its job opportunities and social programs. Almost 9% of the population is foreign-born, with Nicaraguans comprising nearly three-quarters of the foreign population. Many Nicaraguans who perform unskilled seasonal labor enter Costa Rica illegally or overstay their visas, which continues to be a source of tension. Less than 3% of Costa Rica’s population lives abroad. The overwhelming majority of expatriates have settled in the United States after completing a university degree or in order to work in a highly skilled field.
0-14 years: 21.49% (male 577,782/female 552,041)
15-64 years: 68.59% (male 1,813,827/female 1,791,510)
65 years and over: 9.92% (2023 est.) (male 238,971/female 282,481)
total dependency ratio: 45.1
youth dependency ratio: 29.8
elderly dependency ratio: 15.3
potential support ratio: 6.5 (2021 est.)
total: 35 years (2023 est.)
male: 34.4 years
female: 35.6 years
0.72% (2023 est.)
10.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
roughly half of the nation’s population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the population
urban population: 82.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.462 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
22 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 79.6 years (2023 est.)
male: 77 years
female: 82.4 years
1.4 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.68 (2023 est.)
70.9% (2018)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
7.9% of GDP (2020)
3.3 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
1.1 beds/1,000 population (2019)
improved: urban: 99% of population
rural: 97.1% of population
total: 98.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 1% of population
rural: 2.9% of population
total: 1.3% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
25.7% (2016)
total: 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 2.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 8.8% (2020 est.)
male: 12.9% (2020 est.)
female: 4.6% (2020 est.)
2.9% (2018)
48.4% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 2%
women married by age 18: 17.1% (2018 est.)
6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98.1% (2021)
total: 17 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2019)
deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
agricultural land: 37.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.)
forest: 51.5% (2018 est.)
other: 11.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 82.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.82% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 14.7 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 8.02 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 5.61 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.46 million tons (2014 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 18,396 tons (2014 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 1.3% (2014 est.)
municipal: 830 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 2.08 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
113 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
trade-based upper middle-income economy; green economy leader, having reversed deforestation; investing in blue economy infrastructure; declining poverty until hard impacts of COVID-19; lingering inequality and growing government debts have prompted a liquidity crisis
$109.26 billion (2021 est.)
$101.562 billion (2020 est.)
$105.85 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
7.58% (2021 est.)
-4.05% (2020 est.)
2.42% (2019 est.)
$21,200 (2021 est.)
$19,800 (2020 est.)
$20,800 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$61.855 billion (2019 est.)
1.73% (2021 est.)
0.72% (2020 est.)
2.1% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B (2020)
Moody’s rating: B2 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: B (2020)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 5.5% (2017 est.)
industry: 20.6% (2017 est.)
services: 73.9% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 64.2% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 17.3% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 17.1% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 33.3% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -32.9% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, pineapples, bananas, milk, oil palm fruit, fruit, oranges, watermelons, cassava, rice
medical equipment, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
9.83% (2021 est.)
2.426 million (2021 est.)
note: official estimate; excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica
17.95% (2021 est.)
17.41% (2020 est.)
11.49% (2019 est.)
total: 45.4% (2021 est.)
male: 37%
female: 56.3%
21% (2019 est.)
49.3 (2020 est.)
on food: 25.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.5%
highest 10%: 36.9% (2014 est.)
revenues: $9.664 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $14.001 billion (2019 est.)
-6.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
48.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
44.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
12.32% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$2.136 billion (2021 est.)
-$638.741 million (2020 est.)
-$826.158 million (2019 est.)
$23.761 billion (2021 est.)
$19.996 billion (2020 est.)
$22.738 billion (2019 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
United States 38%, Netherlands 6%, Belgium 5%, Guatemala 5%, Panama 5% (2019)
medical instruments, bananas, pineapples, orthopedic appliances, food preparations (2021)
$22.298 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$17.701 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$20.314 billion (2019 est.)
United States 41%, China 13%, Mexico 7% (2019)
refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, medical instruments, packaged medicines (2019)
$6.921 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$7.232 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$8.937 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$29.589 billion (2019 est.)
$28.553 billion (2018 est.)
Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
620.785 (2021 est.)
584.901 (2020 est.)
587.295 (2019 est.)
576.973 (2018 est.)
567.513 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 3.674 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 10,072,472,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 712 million kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 733 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 1,321,498,000 kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 12.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 71.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 14.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 63,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
51,320 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
8.115 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 1,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 8.114 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
44.899 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 39
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,948,546 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 11.13 million (2018) mt-km
TI
161 (2021)
47
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
114
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
662 km refined products (2013)
total: 278 km (2014)
narrow gauge: 278 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge
note: the entire rail network fell into disrepair and out of use at the end of the 20th century; since 2005, certain sections of rail have been rehabilitated
total: 5,035 km (2017)
paved: (2010)
unpaved: (2010)
730 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small craft)
total: 11 (2022)
by type: other 11
major seaport(s): Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean) - Puerto Limon
container port(s) (TEUs): Puerto Limon (1,319,372)
Pacific Ocean - Caldera
manyapis