Costa Rica vs Japan: Refugees by country of asylum
Costa Rica
31,632 people
in 2024
Japan
29,068 people
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
72nd
Japan rank
75th
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Costa Rica
- Japan
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 31,632 people against 29,068 people in Japan, a difference of 2,564 people.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 48 shared years of data; in 1977 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 72nd and Japan ranks 75th of 183 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 51,703 people | 823.33 people | 50,880 people | Costa Rica |
| 1980s | 71,964 people | 4,608 people | 67,356 people | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 67,396 people | 5,659 people | 61,737 people | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 12,714 people | 2,376 people | 10,338 people | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 12,422 people | 2,349 people | 10,073 people | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 17,792 people | 13,899 people | 3,893 people | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Costa Rica or Japan?
- Costa Rica, at 31,632 people against 29,068 people in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Costa Rica and Japan?
- 2,564 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Japan?
- 48 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Japan rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Costa Rica ranks 72nd and Japan ranks 75th 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.