Costa Rica vs United States of America: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Costa Rica
79.7%
in 2025
United States of America
80.2%
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
71st
United States of America rank
69th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Costa Rica
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 80.2% against 79.7% in Costa Rica, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 76 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 71st and United States of America ranks 69th of 236 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 33.7% | 66.9% | 33.2% | United States of America |
| 1960s | 35.5% | 71.9% | 36.4% | United States of America |
| 1970s | 41.0% | 73.6% | 32.6% | United States of America |
| 1980s | 44.9% | 74.3% | 29.4% | United States of America |
| 1990s | 53.1% | 77.0% | 23.9% | United States of America |
| 2000s | 64.4% | 80.0% | 15.6% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 74.6% | 80.5% | 5.9% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 80.1% | 1.4% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Costa Rica or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 80.2% against 79.7% in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 0.5%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States of America?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and United States of America rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 71st and United States of America ranks 69th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.