Australia vs Costa Rica: Refugees by country of asylum
Australia
29,511 people
in 2024
Costa Rica
31,632 people
in 2024
Australia rank
74th
Costa Rica rank
72nd
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Australia
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 31,632 people against 29,511 people in Australia, a difference of 2,121 people.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1978 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 74th and Costa Rica ranks 72nd 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 people | 75,805 people | 228,195 people | Australia |
| 1980s | 179,538 people | 71,964 people | 107,574 people | Australia |
| 1990s | 64,481 people | 67,396 people | 2,916 people | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 49,676 people | 12,714 people | 36,962 people | Australia |
| 2010s | 38,837 people | 12,422 people | 26,414 people | Australia |
| 2020s | 46,292 people | 17,792 people | 28,500 people | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Australia or Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica, at 31,632 people against 29,511 people in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Australia and Costa Rica?
- 2,121 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Costa Rica?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Costa Rica rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Australia ranks 74th and Costa Rica ranks 72nd of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of asylum. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees who live in this country, not just those who arrived that year.