Australia vs Costa Rica: Refugee population by country or territory of asylum
Australia
33,415
in 2025
Costa Rica
36,395
in 2025
Australia rank
72nd
Costa Rica rank
70th
Refugee population by country or territory of asylum over time
- Australia
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 36,395 against 33,415 in Australia, a difference of 2,980.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 48 shared years of data; in 1978 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 72nd and Costa Rica ranks 70th of 183 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 5 and Costa Rica in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Costa Rica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 304,000 | 75,805 | 228,195 | Australia |
| 1980s | 179,538 | 71,964 | 107,574 | Australia |
| 1990s | 64,481 | 67,396 | 2,916 | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 49,676 | 12,714 | 36,962 | Australia |
| 2010s | 38,837 | 12,422 | 26,414 | Australia |
| 2020s | 44,146 | 20,892 | 23,254 | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugee population by country or territory of asylum, Australia or Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica, at 36,395 against 33,415 in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in refugee population by country or territory of asylum between Australia and Costa Rica?
- 2,980, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Costa Rica?
- 48 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2025.
- How do Australia and Costa Rica rank globally for refugee population by country or territory of asylum?
- Australia ranks 72nd and Costa Rica ranks 70th of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Our World in Data, published as Refugee population by country or territory of asylum. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.