Costa Rica vs United States Virgin Islands: Share of population living in rural areas

Costa Rica
26.3%
in 2020
United States Virgin Islands
26.4%
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
117th
United States Virgin Islands rank
115th

Share of population living in rural areas over time

  • Costa Rica
  • United States Virgin Islands
0204060195019852020

How they compare

United States Virgin Islands currently reports 26.4% against 26.3% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Costa Rica ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 117th and United States Virgin Islands ranks 115th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 5 and United States Virgin Islands in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica United States Virgin Islands Difference Ahead
1950s 56.9% 57.3% 0.3% United States Virgin Islands
1960s 48.7% 51.2% 2.5% United States Virgin Islands
1970s 41.6% 40.8% 0.8% Costa Rica
1980s 36.8% 24.5% 12.3% Costa Rica
1990s 31.6% 21.5% 10.1% Costa Rica
2000s 27.7% 21.0% 6.7% Costa Rica
2010s 26.7% 23.0% 3.7% Costa Rica
2020s 26.3% 26.4% 0.0% United States Virgin Islands

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Costa Rica or United States Virgin Islands?
United States Virgin Islands, at 26.4% against 26.3% in Costa Rica as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Costa Rica and United States Virgin Islands?
0.1%, with United States Virgin Islands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States Virgin Islands?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Costa Rica and United States Virgin Islands rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
Costa Rica ranks 117th and United States Virgin Islands ranks 115th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs United States Virgin Islands: Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/costa-rica/virgin-islands-u-s/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.