Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) was 0.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Costa Rica, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2024, population growth in Costa Rica stood at 0.5%.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 55.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Costa Rica peaked at 2.8% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2022.
Costa Rica ranks 146th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.7% | — |
| 1971 | 2.7% | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 2.7% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 2.8% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -17.3% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | -26.6% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 0.5% | +8.6% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | +2.1% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 93% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 0.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5%, 99% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -26.6% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 143 Antigua and Barbuda 0.5% compare
- 144 Cape Verde 0.5% compare
- 145 Azerbaijan 0.5% compare
- 147 Micronesia (country) 0.5% compare
- 148 Bahamas 0.5% compare
- 149 El Salvador 0.5% compare
More population data for Costa Rica
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2884 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.9965 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6681 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,703 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5224 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7399 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Population density 73.96 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 123,827 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Costa Rica?
- Population growth in Costa Rica was 0.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1984.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2022.
- How does Costa Rica rank for population growth?
- Costa Rica ranks 146th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release