Costa Rica
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 5.2M (2025). World rank 126 of 216; in Americas, 20 of 46. Area: 51,100 km². World rank 130 of 249; in Americas, 23 of 56. Life expectancy: 81 years (2024). World rank 46 of 216 (1 = best); in Americas, 5 of 46. From 2015 to 2025: population 4.8M → 5.2M, GDP $56.4B → $102.9B, and GDP per person $11,715 → $19,970. Better than all its neighbours (Nicaragua and Panama): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Costa Rica
- Local name
- Costa Rica
- Capital
- San José
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Laura Fernández Delgado
- Head of government
- Laura Fernández Delgado
- Independence
- September 15, 1821
- Women in parliament
- 49.1% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 5,152,950 2025
- Area
- 51,100 km²
- GDP
- $102.9B 2025
- GDP per person
- $19,970 2025
- Life expectancy
- 81 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Costa Rican Colón (CRC)
- Time zones
- UTC−6
- Calling code
- +506
- Emergency numbers
- 112, 911
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 120 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 1,290
- Neighbours
- Nicaragua, Panama
- Agricultural land
- 31.4% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Cerro Chirripó, 3,819 m
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 746
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 23
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 25°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- November, 23°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 2,926 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 100.8 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +0.5% 2025
- Living in cities
- 79.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 12.2% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 18.3% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 68.9% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 12.8% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 83.6 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 78.4 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.3 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 10 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.6 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 47.5%, no religion 27%, Protestant 21%, other 3.1%, and other Christian 1.4% (2021)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 68.6 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 62 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 60.8 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 64.8 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 76.8 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $33,815 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.6% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- High income
- Gross national income per person
- $17,930 2025
- Inflation
- -0.1% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 59 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 3.4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 19.9% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 69.2% 2025
- Unemployment
- 6.8% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 19.9% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 46% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 38.9% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 32.6% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -0.5% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +5.4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 13.5% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 45.5 2025
- Living on under $3 a day
- 0.8% 2025
Education
- Adult literacy
- 97.4% 2011
- Primary school enrolment
- 105% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 122% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 55% 2019
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 5.3% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 6.9% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $1,163 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 24.1% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 2.7 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 3.1 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.1 2022
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 93% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 9.1 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 10.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 24 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.6% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 9.8% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 66.9% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 7.9% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 99.8% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 98.8% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 97% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 17.8 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 14.8 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 8.1 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 87 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, floods, and landslides
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 17.7 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.6 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 3.3 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 59.1% 2024
- Protected areas
- 28.2% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 22,236 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 5.9% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 87.2% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 136 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 23.3 2024
- Internet domain
- .cr
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 99.8% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 2,382 2025
- Renewable share of energy use
- 34.2% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 99.4% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 1.4% 2025
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 1,971,057 2023
- Airports
- 132 2025
- Railways, km
- 278 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.3% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 508 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 661 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 15 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 22.9% 2024