Costa Rica vs Nicaragua: Number of people living in urban and rural areas
Costa Rica
4.11 million people
in 2025
Nicaragua
4.17 million people
in 2025
Costa Rica rank
114th
Nicaragua rank
112th
Number of people living in urban and rural areas over time
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 4.17 million people against 4.11 million people in Costa Rica, a difference of 57,230 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Nicaragua ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 114th and Nicaragua ranks 112th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Nicaragua in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 367,689 people | 557,423 people | 189,734 people | Nicaragua |
| 1960s | 554,984 people | 876,073 people | 321,089 people | Nicaragua |
| 1970s | 852,553 people | 1.37 million people | 519,579 people | Nicaragua |
| 1980s | 1.22 million people | 1.92 million people | 695,200 people | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 1.86 million people | 2.49 million people | 626,147 people | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 2.73 million people | 2.98 million people | 247,998 people | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 3.58 million people | 3.53 million people | 48,507 people | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 4.01 million people | 4.01 million people | 755 people | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, Costa Rica or Nicaragua?
- Nicaragua, at 4.17 million people against 4.11 million people in Costa Rica as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 57,230 people, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Costa Rica and Nicaragua rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas?
- Costa Rica ranks 114th and Nicaragua ranks 112th 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 Number of people 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
Number of people living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.