Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.5137 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.5137
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
78th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.09
in 1968
All-time low
0.0316
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica, 1950–2025

00.511.52195019872025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica is 0.5137, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica peaked at 2.09 in 1968 and was at its lowest, 0.0316, in 1950.

That places Costa Rica 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica, 1950 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1950 0.0316 —
1951 0.0366 +15.8%
1952 0.081 +121.3%
1953 0.1167 +44.1%
1954 0.1515 +29.8%
1955 0.185 +22.1%
1956 0.2171 +17.4%
1957 0.2478 +14.1%
1958 0.277 +11.8%
1959 0.3048 +10.0%
1960 0.3312 +8.7%
1961 0.3561 +7.5%
1962 0.3665 +2.9%
1963 0.5657 +54.4%
1964 1.01 +79.2%
1965 1.5 +48.3%
1966 1.82 +20.8%
1967 2.01 +10.7%
1968 2.09 +3.9%
1969 2.06 -1.3%
1970 1.94 -6.1%
1971 1.72 -11.3%
1972 1.41 -18.0%
1973 1.09 -22.3%
1974 0.9226 -15.7%
1975 0.816 -11.6%
1976 0.7361 -9.8%
1977 0.6844 -7.0%
1978 0.6606 -3.5%
1979 0.6637 +0.5%
1980 0.6931 +4.4%
1981 0.748 +7.9%
1982 0.827 +10.6%
1983 0.9334 +12.9%
1984 1.06 +13.1%
1985 1.23 +16.7%
1986 1.4 +13.4%
1987 1.54 +10.5%
1988 1.67 +8.0%
1989 1.77 +6.2%
1990 1.85 +4.7%
1991 1.92 +3.5%
1992 1.96 +2.4%
1993 1.99 +1.5%
1994 2.01 +0.7%
1995 2.01 -0.0%
1996 1.99 -0.7%
1997 1.97 -1.3%
1998 1.93 -1.9%
1999 1.88 -2.7%
2000 1.84 -1.9%
2001 1.85 +0.7%
2002 1.88 +1.7%
2003 1.91 +1.2%
2004 1.92 +0.9%
2005 1.93 +0.6%
2006 1.94 +0.3%
2007 1.94 +0.1%
2008 1.94 -0.1%
2009 1.94 -0.3%
2010 2.03 +4.7%
2011 1.18 -41.6%
2012 0.7283 -38.5%
2013 0.742 +1.9%
2014 0.7228 -2.6%
2015 0.7036 -2.7%
2016 0.6845 -2.7%
2017 0.6655 -2.8%
2018 0.6464 -2.9%
2019 0.6274 -2.9%
2020 0.6085 -3.0%
2021 0.5895 -3.1%
2022 0.5706 -3.2%
2023 0.5516 -3.3%
2024 0.5327 -3.4%
2025 0.5137 -3.6%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 0.5137 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0955, 5.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 0.5137 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2473, 2.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1952 +121.3% 0.0366 0.081
1964 +79.2% 0.5657 1.01
1963 +54.4% 0.3665 0.5657
1965 +48.3% 1.01 1.5
1953 +44.1% 0.081 0.1167
2011 -41.6% 2.03 1.18

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.1649 0.0316 0.3048 10
1960s 1.21 0.3312 2.09 10
1970s 1.06 0.6606 1.94 10
1980s 1.19 0.6931 1.77 10
1990s 1.95 1.85 2.01 10
2000s 1.91 1.84 1.94 10
2010s 0.8732 0.6274 2.03 10
2020s 0.5611 0.5137 0.6085 6

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 75 North Macedonia 0.5299 compare
  2. 76 North Korea 0.5232 compare
  3. 77 East Timor 0.517 compare
  4. 79 Kazakhstan 0.4986 compare
  5. 80 Tunisia 0.4961 compare
  6. 81 Myanmar 0.4829 compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica?
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica was 0.5137 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 2.09 in 1968.
What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0316 in 1950.
How does Costa Rica rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
Costa Rica ranks 78th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Annual growth rate of urban population share in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/annual-growth-rate-of-urban-population-share/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual growth rate of urban population share
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed